Up to allies to decide whether or not to authorize strikes inside Russia — NATO chief

 

BRUSSELS:  NATO allies make individual decisions on whether or not they can authorize Ukraine to use their weapons for strikes inside Russia, the alliance’s Secretary General Mark Rutte said ahead of the meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council of the European Union in Defense Ministers’ format in Brussels.

"It’s up to an individual ally to decide what they do. <…> I am not going into whether individual allies should yes or no or what they are doing," he told reporters.

The NATO chief added: "I would generally say let’s not communicate too much and not make our adversaries more wise than is necessary." "Today we will discuss how to help Ukraine to prevail. That means more aid, more money," he revealed though.

On November 17, The New York Times reported that US President Joe Biden has allowed Ukraine to use ATACMS missiles for strikes inside Russia, citing sources. Later, Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs Brian Nichols confirmed this information. The EU’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell stated that some EU countries, too, have authorized the use of their weapons for strikes deep inside Russia from Ukrainian territory.

Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday that Russia’s updated nuclear doctrine stipulates a potential nuclear strike in response to Kiev’s use of Western-made conventional missiles against Russia. Earlier, he described the West’s latest decision as a qualitatively new round of escalation.

-News Feed