NATO Secretary General said Ukraine has the right to attack Russian military targets outside its territory, including with weapons provided by the West.
“The war Russia launched in Ukraine violated international law,” NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said in an interview on February 20. “According to international law, Ukraine has the right to self-defense, including attacks on legitimate Russian military targets outside Ukrainian territory.”
The NATO Secretary General has mentioned Kiev's right to self-defense against Moscow, but this is the first time he has publicly affirmed that Ukraine has the right to self-defense by attacking Russian military targets outside its territory, including by using military means. weapons provided by the West.
This could cross the "red line" outlined by Russian President Vladimir Putin. He repeatedly warned Ukraine not to use weapons provided by the West to attack Russian territory, saying this could escalate the conflict.
The United States and NATO members previously banned Ukraine from using the weapons they donated to attack Russian territory, due to concerns that the war would get out of control. The West also initially delayed the transfer of many types of long-range weapons to Ukraine, fearing that Kiev could use them to attack targets outside its territory.
However, as the war dragged on, this view gradually changed. France and Britain last year provided Ukraine with Storm Shadow/SCALP-EG missiles with a range of 250-560 km, while Washington transferred to Kiev the ATACMS version with a range of 165 km.
American F-16 Fighting Falcon fighter flying in Alaska in June 6. Image: US Air Force
Lieutenant General Serhiy Nayev, Commander of the Joint Command, the senior staff agency in the Ukrainian army, revealed earlier this month that Kiev would receive F-16 fighters and missiles capable of hitting targets at a distance. 300-500 km in the upcoming aid package. Analysts say this could be a weapon for F-16 fighters, like the American JASSM line.
The F-16 multi-role fighter was developed by General Dynamics in the 1970s and is currently used by the US and its allies. Each F-16 costs about 30-35 million USD depending on the variant.
The F-16 can reach a maximum speed of 2.121 km/h at an altitude of 12.000 m, a maximum flight ceiling of 18.000 m with a range of 546 km. This fighter model is equipped with a 6-barrel 20 mm gun, 11 pylons that can carry 7,7 tons of weapons.
On February 6, the Netherlands announced that it would provide 2 more F-6 fighters to Ukraine, bringing the total number of aircraft that the country pledged to transfer to Kiev to 16.
In addition to the Netherlands, Denmark and Belgium have also announced plans to supply F-16s to Ukraine. Kiev plans to receive the first F-16s this year, after Ukrainian pilots complete training.
Pham Giang (Follow Ukrainska Pravda, Newsweek)
