Amid growing calls from Western countries supplying weapons to Ukraine to allow attacks on Russian territory, Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned that such a policy could lead to serious consequences.
According to AFP and other reports, Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Jens Stoltenberg reiterated during an interview with The Economist on the 24th (local time) and at the NATO Parliamentary Assembly’s spring session in Sofia, Bulgaria, on the 27th, that the restriction limiting the use of Western weapons to Ukrainian territory should be relaxed.
Josep Borrell, the European Union’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, also said at a meeting with EU defense ministers on the 28th, “Ukraine has the right to use Western weapons to attack Russia.”
French President Emmanuel Macron also supported the idea of allowing attacks on Russian territory. During a state visit to Germany, he said in a joint press conference after a summit with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, “We should allow them to neutralize the military bases (of Russia) from where missiles are being launched. Ukraine is under attack.”
On the other hand, Scholz showed a cautious attitude at the event, saying, “Ukraine is under attack and can defend itself,” and “The rule that we must act within the framework of international law is being well observed and will continue to do so.”
After Macron’s comments, Putin expressed his displeasure, warning that serious consequences could occur if Ukraine is allowed to strike its territory.
During his visit to Uzbekistan, Putin held a press conference in Tashkent on the 28th, saying, “Europe, especially small countries, should know what they are playing with,” and threatened, “Small, densely populated countries should keep this in mind before attacking deep into Russian territory.”
As Ukraine’s war situation is being pushed back, the idea of dispatching troops is resurfacing. Macron mentioned in February that he could dispatch troops to Ukraine, Poland, and the Baltic States (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania), which are neighboring countries of Russia who have indicated through various channels that they cannot rule out the possibility of dispatching troops.
At the press conference, Putin also criticized the idea of dispatching Western troops to Ukraine, warning that “all of Europe could be engulfed in conflict.”
In addition, he showed a position that he could not negotiate legitimately with Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the president of Ukraine, whose five-year term ended on the 20th. Ukraine, which was supposed to hold a presidential election in March, canceled the election as martial law was declared due to Russia’s invasion.
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