NATO countries should allow Ukraine to use weapons to strike targets in Russia. This is stated in the declaration "Supporting Ukraine to Victory", adopted by the NATO Parliamentary Assembly on Monday, 27 May, in Sofia, DW reports.
The time has come for such a decision, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said. The allies should consider "lifting some of the restrictions imposed", as the red lines drawn by some NATO countries "tied the hands of Ukrainians", Stoltenberg said.
At the same time, he recalled the difficult situation on the frontline in Kharkiv region in recent weeks. The country has been defending itself against a full-scale Russian invasion for three years. Relevant decisions should be made by NATO nations at the national level, Stoltenberg said in the Bulgarian capital.
The head of the organisation also reminded that it is about the self-defence of Ukraine, which has become the target of Russian aggression.
"Self-defence includes the right to strike at legitimate military targets inside Russia," he stressed.
Jens Stoltenberg first made this call to NATO countries in an interview with The Economist published on 24 May. The Russian offensive in the Kharkiv region, which began in May, is partly due to the fact that Ukraine is not allowed to use weapons supplied by Western countries to attack "legitimate military targets inside Russia," but "it is time for allies to consider whether they should not lift some of the restrictions they have imposed on the use of weapons they have provided to Ukraine," he said.
Germany and Italy are among the countries that do not approve of such a permit. In particular, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz again refused to allow Ukraine to strike military targets on Russian territory with weapons from Germany. According to Scholz, Berlin and Kyiv currently have agreed "clear rules for the supply of weapons".
"And they work. At least I think so," he added.
In turn, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said she "does not understand Stoltenberg's statements". "We have to be very careful," she added.
Meanwhile, the head of Ukraine's permanent delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, Yehor Chernev, said that the White House has already begun discussions on granting Ukraine permission to use American weapons on Russian territory.