Ukraine War, Day 873: NATO chief: Kiev has the right to strike inside Russia

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg during the NATO Summit, Vilnius, Lithuania, 12 July 2023

Sunday coverage, day 872: Another Russian “Double Tap” missile attack kills two first responders

Sunday’s coverage: Another Russian ‘Double Tap’ missile attack kills two first responders” />

Map: Institute for War Research

Stoltenberg said at a fundraising gala on Sunday, July 14:

My position is that there is no doubt that Ukraine has the right to attack legitimate military targets on the territory of the aggressor country, Russia.

This is clearly defined in international law. Since this is a war that Russia started against Ukraine, Ukraine has the right to self-defense, and that includes attacks on the territory of the aggressor. This is perfectly clear to me.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has asked his allies for permission to attack military positions in Russia that support Vladimir Putin’s invasion and carry out missile and drone attacks on Ukraine’s civilian population and energy infrastructure.

Ukraine has British and French long-range missiles such as Storm Shadow and SCALP. In April, the United States finally agreed to supply ATACMS missiles with a range of up to 300 miles.

At the NATO summit last week, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer suggested that Kyiv could use the Storm Shadows at its own discretion to repel the Russian invasion.

In late May, the Biden administration finally agreed to allow Ukrainians to use HIMARS missile systems against Russian positions, allowing them to launch a cross-border offensive in the Kharkiv region of northeastern Ukraine.

However, US authorities maintained the ban on any ATACMS attacks inside Russia.

Stoltenberg noted that more and more of Ukraine’s partners are “easing their restrictions”: “I welcome the decision of the allies to open up the possibility of increased use of weapons to attack these targets.”

However, US President Joe Biden said at the summit last Thursday that the attacks “made no sense”.