Some of Ukraine's allies have sent weapons to Kyiv with no restrictions on strikes inside Russia, Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braze said in an interview with European Pravda published on May 1.
Ukraine has continued to press its Western allies for longer-range weapons, but partners have hesitated about delivering arms that could potentially be used to strike within Russian territory.
President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that Kyiv will not use weapons supplied by foreign partners to hit targets outside of the country’s borders. Such restrictions do not apply to domestically produced arms, some of which are reportedly capable of striking deep into Russia.
Braze said that Ukraine needs the capabilities to conduct "deep precision strikes," including against targets on Russian territory.
"Ukraine's (use of Western weapons) is permitted by international law. If there are facilities from which Russia is carrying out attacks on Ukraine, you have the right to respond," the Latvian minister said.
When asked whether the approach to the ban on foreign-made weapons strikes on Russian territory could change, Braze answered that "there are countries that have already provided Ukraine with weapons without such restrictions."
"Not everything is announced publicly, and it is even better not to say it out loud until a certain time. The main thing is the impact on the battlefield. Because there is a choice here — either to speak loudly about something or just to do what is necessary," the minister said.
Ukraine has received long-range missiles, such as the Storm Shadow from the U.K. and the French-made SCALP. It was reported on April 25 that the U.S. had secretly sent more than 100 long-range ATACMS missiles to Kyiv.
Ukrainian forces reportedly successfully used them to strike targets on the Russian-occupied territories, including Crimea.
Chris York
(Updated: )
