Zelensky demands action following assaults on Kharkiv.
Following the assaults on Kharkiv, there's widespread anger in the West. But President Zelensky's comforting words won't suffice. Ukraine needs to be able to fire Western weapons at Russian land. "We're aware of every location where Russian rockets and fighter jets are launched."
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is insisting that Ukraine be permitted to use Western weaponry against Russian soil after lethal airstrikes on the border city of Kharkiv. Numerous foreign politicians and organizations have offered their sympathies and denounced Russia. "It's vital that this condemnation results in suitable consequences," Zelensky stated in his video message. Since Thursday, over 20 individuals have been killed in Kharkiv by Russian air strikes, as per official statistics.
Zelensky emphasized that Ukraine not only requires further air defense but also the authority to fire Western weapons at Russian soil. "We're fully aware of each Russian military deployment. We know where each Russian rocket and jet-fighter is launched," he said. It's a political decision to authorize the preemptive destruction of these forces before they attack Ukraine. "A decision that must be made." In addition, the pledged F-16 fighter jets from the United States should be supplied more swiftly.
There has been a continuous discussion in Western donor nations about the employment of foreign arms against Russian territory. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg encouraged member states to allow Ukraine to use such equipment for self-defense. Britain has granted approval for its provided equipment to be used for such purposes. For the United States, Secretary of State Antony Blinken recently stated in Kiev that there's no prohibition on employing these weapons, but the U.S. does not endorse the action. In Germany, Chancellor Olaf Scholz is against using weapons across the border into Russia. He believes that Germany could become a belligerent in the conflict.
SPD General Secretary Kevin Kühnert also dismissed Ukraine's wishes. "What's happening in Kharkiv and elsewhere is terror against the civilian populace, perpetrated by Russia," Kühnert said on ZDF in the morning. "But that doesn't mean we can do whatever we want." Scholz has repeatedly highlighted that if Germany contributes its equipment systems, it should retain control over their usage. "Imagine a situation where one of these weapons, employed on Russian soil, inadvertently strikes a civilian infrastructure. What then would we discuss?" So Kühnert.
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- In response to Zelensky's plea, several Western leaders, including Olaf Scholz, have expressed concern over the Attack on Ukraine, specifically in Kharkiv, and have condemned Russia's actions.
- Kevin Kühnert, the SPD General Secretary, supports the condemnation of Russia's war crimes but opposes the use of Western weapons in Ukraine for fear of escalating Wars and conflicts, potentially leading to war crimes of its own.
- Despite the ongoing debate about Western weapons, Ukrainian President Zelensky is pressing for the authorization to use Western weapons against Russian territory, stating, "We're aware of every location where Russian rockets and fighter jets are launched."
- Russia's actions in Ukraine have sparked international outrage, with Kevin Kühnert calling the attacks on Kharkiv "terror against the civilian population," while NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has encouraged member states to allow Ukraine to use Western weapons for self-defense.
Source: www.ntv.de