Increasing Calls for Kyiv to Strike Targets in Russia

Several NATO member states supply weapons to Ukraine without conditions on their use, while others stipulate, they can only be used against Russian targets within Ukraine’s borders. Recently, there has been a growing demand for Ukraine to have the freedom to use these weapons as it sees fit for self-defence.

On Thursday, Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky stated that Prague had “no problem with Ukraine defending itself against an aggressor” and supported Kyiv’s use of munitions supplied by his country to attack targets in Russia.

Earlier in the week, French President Emmanuel Macron advocated for allowing Ukraine to strike Russian positions inside Russia using Western weapons. During his state visit to Germany, Macron argued that Ukraine should be able to “neutralize military sites where missiles are fired,” speaking alongside German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Berlin.

Scholz, while more cautious, said he had no legal objection to Macron’s stance and affirmed that Ukraine was “allowed to defend itself.” The UK also supports Ukraine’s right to determine how to use British weapons, including striking targets inside Russia.

On Wednesday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken mentioned that the policy on Ukraine’s use of American weapons is continually evolving, hinting that Washington might consider allowing Ukraine to use US weapons in attacks on Russian territory.

However, not all are in favour of this idea. Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto labelled it a “crazy idea for the Ukrainians to fire Western weapons into Russia’s interior.”

Russia has issued stern warnings to Ukraine’s allies against permitting Kyiv to conduct strikes on Russian soil using Western weapons. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov cautioned that such actions would “ultimately be very damaging to the interests of those countries that have chosen the path of escalating tensions.”