EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell on Tuesday urged countries to balance their fear of escalation against Ukraine's need for self-defense, emphasizing Kyiv's right to use Western arms to strike within Russia.
"In accordance with the law of war, it is perfectly legitimate and there is no contradiction," Borrell stated at the start of a meeting with European Union defense ministers. "One can retaliate or fight against an aggressor operating from their territory," he added. "We must balance the risk of escalation with the necessity for Ukrainians to defend themselves."
Ukraine has been pressing its Western supporters to permit the use of longer-range weaponry to target locations within Russia. However, key backers such as the United States and Germany have hesitated, fearing that this might draw them closer to direct conflict with Moscow.
Borrell's stance was supported by several other defense ministers at the Brussels meeting. Dutch Minister Kajsa Ollongren stated that The Netherlands had no restrictions and expressed hope that "other countries with different positions will reconsider."
"It is quite feasible that they may need to strike inside Russia," Ollongren said. "In my view, that should not be the main concern."
Estonia's Hanno Pevkur expressed his hope that all countries possessing these capabilities would grant Ukraine the necessary permissions. "It is unreasonable for Russia to attack deep into Ukrainian territory while Ukrainians are restrained," he said.
These statements followed NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg's remarks on Monday, suggesting it was time for allies to reconsider their restrictions, especially as Russia continues to bombard the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv from its territory.
The debate over Ukrainian strikes inside Russia comes amid NATO countries' struggles to provide the air defense systems Kyiv urgently needs. Despite Stoltenberg's announcement last month that allies had agreed to supply more air defenses, no new systems have been pledged since then.
Minister Ollongren revealed that The Netherlands is now working on an initiative to assemble a Patriot air defense system in collaboration with several partners to send to Ukraine. "We will deliver various components from our own capabilities to assemble a complete system for Ukraine," she said.
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