Ukraine has renewed its call for permission to use Western-supplied weapons to target sites within Russia, amid discussions among Kyiv‘s allies on this significant policy shift.
Mykhailo Podolyak, an advisor to the Ukrainian President, emphasized during a talk show hosted by Germany’s public broadcaster ZDF that allowing Ukraine to strike Russian targets with Western weapons aligns with international law.
He stressed that to halt Moscow’s ongoing aggression, which has persisted for over two years, Kyiv must be empowered to target military installations inside Russia.
This renewed call follows a deadly bombardment on Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city located near the Russian border.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has called for the use of Western arms against targets in Russia in response to such attacks.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has recently backed this request, urging member countries to consider partially lifting restrictions on Ukrainian military actions.
Reports from yesterday suggest that Washington has discreetly allowed Ukraine to use U.S.-supplied weapons in a limited capacity against Russian targets.
Sources like Politico and CNN indicate that this permission is confined to counterattacks defending Kharkiv.
European leaders remain divided on this issue. While French President Emmanuel Macron has shown support for a partial lifting of the restrictions, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz appears hesitant to endorse such a move.
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, who visited Ukraine on Thursday, expressed a cautious stance.
He acknowledged that international law permits lifting restrictions on weapons supplied to Ukraine but also noted that bilateral agreements between Ukraine and its Western allies include confidential details.
