Ukraine has right to destroy legitimate military targets in Russia - Stoltenberg

He said this during the telethon.

He said that we must not forget that this war was initiated by Russia as an aggressor. Russia has occupied part of Ukraine, and Ukraine has the right to self-defense. This right includes the ability to target legitimate military objectives within the aggressor's territory - Russia.

According to Stoltenberg, NATO partners have provided 99% of the military aid to Ukraine, although some restrictions have been placed on the use of these weapons. However, NATO will ease these restrictions as Russia has launched a new offensive in the north, near Kharkiv.

"They are attacking from Russian territory, and Ukraine has the right to destroy the missile launchers that are firing at Kharkiv. So, the restrictions are gradually being lifted, and this will help Ukrainians defend themselves," the Alliance Secretary General said, adding that NATO will provide extensive support to Ukraine, but "will not become a party to the conflict.''

''From the very beginning, NATO said that it would provide a lot of support to Ukraine. We in the Alliance have agreed that we will train the Ukrainian military. However, NATO has always emphasized that we are not a party to the conflict and therefore we are not sending our troops to Ukraine," Stoltenberg said.

Which states allow Ukraine to use its weapons on Russian territory

On May 2, British Foreign Secretary David Cameron said that Ukraine has the right to use British weapons to strike at Russian territory. In response, Russia threatened to strike at UK military facilities.

On May 26, Swedish Defense Minister Paul Johnson said that Ukraine could use the weapons provided by Stockholm to hit targets in Russia.

Subsequently, Polish Deputy Defense Minister Cezary Tomczyk said that his country supports Ukraine's right to use Western weapons to strike targets in Russia.

Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Estonia, the Czech Republic, and Finland have also authorized the use of their weapons outside Ukraine.

On May 29, Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly said that the country did not set any conditions for the use of weapons when providing Kyiv with them.

On May 30, Norway said that Western countries should allow Ukraine to use their weapons on Russian territory to speed up Kyiv's victory.

On the same day, Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen announced that Ukraine would be able to use Danish F-16 fighters to strike military targets in Russia.

On May 31, U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken confirmed that President Joe Biden had secretly authorized Ukraine to strike targets in Russia with U.S. weapons. Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that the message came from the United States and called the ally's action a "step forward." At the same time, a representative of the U.S. The National Security Council commented on the boundaries of the Russian Federation covered by the U.S. authorization.

Dutch Defense Minister Kajsa Ollongren said that Ukraine will be able to use F-16 fighter jets provided by her country to strike targets in Russia. 

On June 6, Macron authorized Ukraine to strike Russia with French weapons.