The new NATO secretary general Mark Rutte has told Kyiv they have the right “to strike legitimate” military targets deep inside Russia to prevent further loss of civilian life in Ukraine.
Rutte said that under international law the right defend their country from Russian attacks “does not end at the border.”
This will no doubt be met with a furious response from Vladimir Putin and the Kremlin who have warned over the past few days that such an attack will result in a nuclear escalation.
Rutte said, “Let’s not forget Ukraine is fighting a war of self-defence, and that means that Ukraine has the right to defend itself. And as we know, international law, and according to international law, this right does not end at the border.
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“So that means that supporting Ukraine’s right to self-defence means that it is also possible for them to strike legitimate targets on the aggressor territory.
“At the end, it’s up to each Ally to determine its support for Ukraine.”
Rutte made reference to the British and French Storm Shadow and SCALP cruise missiles not being allowed to be used in Russia, he said that one particular weapon will not end the war.
The NATO secretary general noted that the decision to use Western supplied weapons is down to the allies to decide.
He said that with thanks to Western allies billions has been spent on defence to help Ukraine fight against Russian aggression.
Last Friday the Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko issued a grave warning that Minsk and Moscow will use “nuclear arms” in the event of an attack on the republic, meaning Belarus or Russia.
Putin has now tweaked Russia’s nuclear doctrine, so any long-range attacks by Ukraine on the Russian Federation by using “aerospace weapons, including aircraft missiles and UAVs” is now “the basis for the use of nuclear weapons.”
The deputy head of the National Security Council Dmitry Medvedev also warned that any attack on Russia using any type of weapon with the support or participation if a nuclear-weapon country “will be considered a joint-attack.”
Medvedev who is Putin’s right-hand man warned, “A massive launch and crossing of our border with enemy aerospace weapons, including aircraft, missiles and UAVs, can under certain conditions become the basis for the use of nuclear weapons.
“Aggression against Russia by a non-nuclear-weapon state, but with the support or participation of a nuclear-weapon country, will be considered a joint attack.”
