Germany has also allowed Ukraine to attack targets in Russia with German weapons. This was reported by Der Spiegel.
The German federal government has decided to relax the rule that did not allow Ukrainians to fire on targets in Russia with Western military equipment.
According to the newspaper, this decision is the result of the recent intensification of Russian attacks in the border area of the Kharkiv region. Ukraine has long sought permission to fire Western weapons at Russian territory in order to be able to attack Russian targets directly abroad.
As a result, Germany agreed with Ukraine. Government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit said that “the weapons we supply will be used in accordance with international law”.
In recent weeks, Russia has been preparing, coordinating, and carrying out attacks from positions near the Russian border, particularly in the Kharkiv area.
“Together, we are convinced that Ukraine has the right under international law to defend itself against these attacks”, — Hebestreit said.
At the same time, the German opposition is critical of the decision.
“I call on Chancellor Scholz to clearly reject the demand for the use of Western weapons on Russian territory”, — said Janine Wissler, leader of the Left Party, before the decision was announced.
She called the demand to allow Ukraine to fire German weapons on Russian territory “irresponsible and very dangerous”.
Sahra Wagenknecht, founder of BSW, expressed a similar warning:
“For two years, we have been crossing one red line after another and are increasingly becoming a party of war”, — the politician said.
According to the newspaper, such changes are not only German efforts. The US government has previously quietly given Ukraine permission to use US weapons on a limited scale against targets in Russia. This applies only to counterattacks in defense of the city of Kharkiv.
