France Germany back Ukraine's use of western weapons on Russian soil

France and Germany have said that Ukraine should be permitted to use their weaponry against targets inside Russia from which Moscow attacks Ukraine.


While addressing the media, alongside German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Tuesday (May 28), French President Emmanuel Macron outlined that French weapons supplied to Ukraine, including long-range missiles, were permitted to strike targets within Russia.

• "Since Ukrainian soil is being attacked from bases in Russia, how can we explain to the Ukrainians that we need to protect these towns and everything we're seeing around Kharkiv currently," Macron said.
• "We believe that we should allow them to neutralise the military sites from which the missiles are fired and, basically, the military sites from which Ukraine is attacked," Macron continued.
• However, Macron emphasised that "we must not allow them to strike other targets in Russia," including civilian or additional military sites.
• Echoing Macron's comments, Germany's Scholz said that Ukraine was permitted to defend itself provided it adhered to the conditions set by the countries supplying the weapons - including the United States - and international law.

"Ukraine has every possibility under international law for what it is doing. That has to be said clearly," Scholz said. "I find it odd when some people disagree that it should not be allowed to defend itself and take measures that are suitable for this."

• Western allies of Ukraine have maintained a long-standing policy that donated weapons should be strictly used within Ukrainian territory.
• The issue is a controversial one, with fears from Western leaders that if their weaponry is used to strike inside Russia, it would escalate the violence and trigger a wider war involving NATO.
• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has repetitively asked permission from his allies to expand the usage of the provided weapons to strike inside Russia.
• The United States, the largest arms supplier to Ukraine, has previously prohibited Kyiv from firing its weapons inside Russian territory over escalation concerns.

However, in recent remarks that come into view as a hint -the possibility of a policy change, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Wednesday (May 29) that the US would continue to "adapt and adjust" its support for Ukraine.

"Another seal of our support for Ukraine over the last two years has been to adapt as the conditions have changed. Battlefields change. As what Russia does has changed in terms of how it is pursuing its aggression escalation, we've adapted and adjusted too. And I am confident we will continue to do that," he said when asked about the possibility of allowing Ukraine to strike Russian soil.

""We have neither encouraged nor enabled strikes beyond Ukraine's borders. As I have previously stated, Ukraine must independently determine the most effective strategies for its defense. Our commitment is to ensure that Ukraine possesses the necessary equipment to achieve this objective," Secretary Blinken asserted.

When asked about his remarks about adjusting and adapting, he added, "We're always listening. We're always learning to make sure that Ukraine can effectively continue to defend itself."