NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg rejected Russian President Vladimir Putin's warnings that allowing Kiev to use Western weapons to strike Russian territory could lead to escalation. According to him, the alliance has heard similar warnings many times before, Reuters reports.
Stoltenberg commented on the situation during the meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Prague.
"This is nothing new. Every time NATO allies support Ukraine, President Putin tries to threaten us not to. And about escalation - well, Russia escalated (the situation) by invading another country," he pointed out to reporters.
Jens Stoltenberg earlier said that Ukraine has the right to strike legitimate military targets in Russia, especially since the border and front line near Kharkiv are more or less the same. According to him, it is not reasonable to assume that Kiev should not respond to the attacks.
"Of course, it will be very difficult for Ukraine to defend itself if they are not allowed to use modern weapons to repel these attacks. Ukraine has the right to self-defense, we have the right to help Ukraine assert its right to self-defense, and this does not make NATO allies a party to the conflict," Stoltenberg was categorical, adding that it was so in February 2022, so it is it was last year and it remains so.
We recall that on Tuesday, Putin warned NATO members not to allow Ukraine to use their weapons on Russian territory, once again raising the risk of nuclear war. Several NATO member states have already lifted restrictions on the use of weapons for Kiev. Today, Russia also warned that the possibility of using nuclear weapons against Ukraine is not a bluff.
Berlin reported that Ukraine can use German weapons to defend itself against attacks on the territory of Kharkiv, in accordance with international law.
In a marked shift in policy, US President Joe Biden also allowed Kiev limited use of US-supplied weapons in Russia. Biden's decision only applies to targets in Russia near the border with the Kharkiv region. At the moment, the USA is the largest supplier of weapons to Kiev.