NATO's leader steps up pressure against nations, including Germany.
During debates on the deployment of Western weapons for striking Russian military targets, NATO's Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg intensified the pressure on countries like Germany. At the European Union defense minister meeting in Brussels, the Norwegian demanded the removal of limitations on Ukrainian attacks.
Stoltenberg noted that it would be tough for the Ukrainians to defend themselves effectively if they could not target areas like artillery installations or airports across the border. He made these remarks during a conversation on the periphery of the discussions. Fighting often takes place near the boundary in this area.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed similar sentiments at a news conference with Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo in Brussels. He portrayed the unfair circumstance faced by his troops in Russia's border assault on Kharkiv. Under fire from artillery and long-range weapons, they cannot retaliate. To stay alive, the Ukrainians are moving back bit by bit, and the Russians are encroaching further each time. Innocent civilians and children have been injured or killed in the hardware store in Kharkiv. "And you can't respond to that," he concluded.
Stoltenberg is pressuring Germany and other countries that link the provision of arms to Ukraine to specific rules for their deployment. These rules include, for instance, forbidding attacks on Russian targets. The concern is that NATO may incur war status.
Stoltenberg and the defense ministers of Eastern NATO nations underlined that there's minimal risk of escalation at Brussels. Stoltenberg, for example, noted that some NATO countries have been providing Ukraine with weapons without any conditions for quite some time. In addition, he asserted that using weapons against military objectives through Ukraine's right to self-defense is authorized.
Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur mentioned that warnings were issued about decisions to donate tanks, combat aircraft, or long-range missiles by France and Great Britain. Nevertheless, these situations have led to no tangible shift in any of these cases. "Russia, indeed, utilizes any chance to declare this an escalation if something new is sent," he stated.
The German State Secretary at the defense minister meeting, SPD politician Siemtje Möller, declined to give further details on the subject. "The Chancellor has spoken about this," she declared.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz had commented on the subject in the previous weekend. In response to a question on when he would allow the Ukrainian military to shell Russian territory using German-supplied weapons, the Chancellor replied: "For the weapons deliveries we have made so far, clear arrangements that have been agreed with Ukraine have been established. And they work – that's my theory."
The EU's High Representative Josep Borrell acknowledged the situation after the Defense Ministers' meeting on Tuesday afternoon. "No state can coerce an EU member to lift restrictions on armaments supplied to Ukraine," he conceded. "No one within the European Union will be obligated to act in any way."
However, Borrell concurrently made it explicit where he stood personally. Providing arms to Ukraine for self-defense and striking military targets in Russia is a lawful response, proclaimed the Spaniard. Right now, Ukraine is in a situation where Russia can almost protectively attack it because it cannot strike the sites from which these Russian attacks originate.
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- Jens Stoltenberg, the NATO Secretary-General, pressured Germany during EU defense minister discussions in Brussels, urging the removal of restrictions on Ukrainian attacks against Russian military targets.
- Stoltenberg emphasized that effective Ukrainian defense would be challenging without the ability to target areas like artillery installations or airports across the border.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo discussed this issue in Brussels, with Zelensky portraying the hardships faced by Ukrainian troops due to Russia's border assault on Kharkiv.
- Stoltenberg urged nations, including Germany, to lift conditions on arms deliveries to Ukraine, expressing concern about potential NATO war status due to these limitations.
- Some NATO countries have been providing Ukraine with weapons without conditions, and Stoltenberg considered using weapons against military objectives in Ukraine's self-defense as authorized.
- Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur acknowledged that warnings were issued about supplying tanks, combat aircraft, or long-range missiles to Ukraine by France and Britain.
- German State Secretary Siemtje Möller declined to provide additional details during the defense minister meeting, stating that Chancellor Olaf Scholz had already addressed the matter.
- Scholz had spoken about arms deliveries to Ukraine, noting that clear arrangements had been established and were effective.
- EU's High Representative Josep Borrell acknowledged the situation after the Defense Ministers' meeting, asserting that no EU member could be coerced to lift restrictions on arms supplied to Ukraine, but acknowledging that providing arms for self-defense and striking military targets was a lawful response.
Source: www.stern.de
