NATO support for Ukraine to strike 'across the border'

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg delivered the opening speech at the conference titled "75 years of NATO: How to keep the work on track?" held within the framework of the NATO Informal Meeting of Foreign Ministers in Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic, on May 30-31.

At the conference, where Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky, Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen, and Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski participated as speakers, Stoltenberg stated that Ukraine's right to self-defense under international law also covers the striking of military targets within Russian territory.

"SERIOUS DELAYS HAVE OCCURRED"

Emphasizing that the Czech Republic is celebrating the 25th anniversary of its accession to NATO this year and that this date represents the beginning of Europe's great transformation, Stoltenberg said, "This was the end of the Cold War and the beginning of a new era in which NATO and the European Union expanded, and many countries from the former Warsaw Pact and the Soviet Union joined NATO.

25 years ago, I was a very young politician, but I remember the debates very well. Most people across the Alliance were afraid of expansion and feared that including countries like the Czech Republic, Poland, and Hungary in NATO would provoke Russia and the Soviet Union," he said.

Stoltenberg emphasized that today the Czech Republic is leading an initiative for ammunition support to Ukraine and that this proud mission will make a big difference on the battlefield in Ukraine, adding, "But the truth is that what we have done is not enough. In recent months, there have been serious delays in providing ammunition and military support. For example, we have seen serious shortages in air defense and ammunition," he said.

"IT IS TIME TO RECONSIDER SOME OF THE RESTRICTIONS"

Pointing out that there are debates regarding the types of weapons sent to Ukraine and how they are used, Stoltenberg said, "Some allies have placed restrictions on the use of these weapons. Others have placed no restrictions on the weapons sent to Ukraine. These are the allies' own national decisions.

But if you ask me, considering the evolution of this war, at the beginning of the war, almost all of the fighting took place on Ukrainian territory, quite far inland. But now, in the last week or months, a large part of the intense fighting is taking place on the border between Russia and Ukraine, in the Kharkiv region," he said.

Stoltenberg emphasized that Russian forces are now frequently located on the Russian side of the border along the front line, stating, "They can be found on the Russian side of the border with their artillery, missile launchers, aircraft, and ammunition and fuel depots, and they are at least safer as long as they are not attacked with the most advanced weapons Ukraine has received. Therefore, I believe it is time to reconsider some of these restrictions to ensure that the Ukrainians can truly defend themselves," he said.

"INCLUDES STRIKING LEGITIMATE TARGETS OUTSIDE UKRAINE"

Emphasizing that it should not be forgotten that this war is a war of aggression launched by Russia against Ukraine, the NATO Secretary General said, "Russia has invaded another country, Ukraine, and Ukraine has the right to self-defense under international law. This right is enshrined in the UN Charter. The right to self-defense includes striking legitimate military targets outside of Ukraine. For example, military targets inside Russian territory at the border that are launching attacks on Ukrainian forces," he said.

"WE NEED TO STRENGTHEN OUR RELATIONS"

Emphasizing that the issue of strengthening NATO's relations with its global partners, especially those from the Asia-Pacific region, will be discussed at tomorrow's meeting and summit, Stoltenberg said, "The war in Ukraine makes this very clear. If we look at who Russia's best friends are in this war, we see that Iran is providing drones to Russia and helping Russia build a factory to produce more Iranian drones, North Korea is providing Russia with more than a million rounds of ammunition, and China is supporting the Russian economy by providing a large number of advanced electronic devices and microprocessors," he said.

"IT COULD NOT HAVE FOUGHT WITHOUT CHINA'S SUPPORT"

Stoltenberg emphasized that 90 percent of the microelectronic materials delivered or imported to Russia last year came from China, stating, "Without China's economic support, Russia would not have been able to wage the war it is conducting against Ukraine. In return, Russia is mortgaging its future to China and is choosing to share technology to support North Korea and Iran in their missile and nuclear programs," he said.

Stoltenberg stated that for this reason, NATO will remain a North American and European alliance, but that it is necessary to work with global partners, especially Indo-Pacific partners.