Helsinki and Stockholm declared on Sept. 13 that they would not prohibit Ukraine from attacking Russia with their weapons amid Russian President Vladimir Putin's recent threats against NATO.
The day before, Putin said that Ukraine's use of Western long-range weapons against Russia would mean that NATO countries were directly involved in the full-scale war. According to Putin, allowing Ukraine to use such weapons would change the "nature of the conflict," meaning that NATO countries would be fighting against Russia.
Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen, during a joint press conference with her Swedish counterpart Maria Malmer Stenergard, said that the only restriction for Ukraine is that Western weapons supplied by Finland must be used in accordance with international law, the media outlet YLE reported.
Malmer Stenergard echoed Valtonen's stance, adding that the use of Swedish-provided weapons is not limited to the territory of Ukraine and can be used to strike Russia.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who held a press conference on the same day, said that Canada "fully supports Ukraine using long-range weaponry to prevent and interdict Russia's continued ability to degrade Ukrainian civilian infrastructure" and kill civilians, the Canadian public broadcaster CBC News reported.
"(Putin) is trying to extremely destabilize the rules-based international order that protects all of us, not just in every democracy in the world, but in every country in the world," Trudeau said.
Ukraine has received shipments of long-range U.S.-made ATACMS and U.K.-made Storm Shadow missiles, but the two countries have not permitted their use inside Russian territory so far.
While Western countries eased restrictions on the use of certain arms just across the border after a Russian offensive in Kharkiv Oblast in May, limits on long-range strikes deep inside Russia remained in place.
Multiple Western outlets, such as Politico and the Guardian, recently wrote that this position may be shifting as U.S. and U.K. officials are preparing plans to ease the restrictions further.
Chris York
(Updated: )
