NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg pushed at the start of a meeting of the alliance’s foreign ministers on Thursday to let Ukraine use Western weapons to strike inside Russia, a move sought by Kyiv but opposed for now by its chief backer Washington.
The two-day meeting in Prague is meant to focus on efforts to hammer out a package of support for Ukraine at NATO’s summit in Washington in July.
But the swirling debate over whether to let Kyiv use arms sent by Western backers to strike inside Russia risks overshadowing the talks.
Ukraine has been pressing its supporters, led by the United States, to allow it to use the longer-range weaponry they supply to hit targets on Russian soil.
Some countries including Britain and the Netherlands say Kyiv has the right to use their weapons to strike military targets in Russia.
Norway’s Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide added his support Thursday, saying that Kyiv should not have to fight “with one hand tied behind its back”.
But the United States and Germany have long opposed allowing Kyiv to strike over the border, out of fear it could drag them closer to direct conflict with Moscow.
French President Emmanuel Macron appeared to shift the dial forward on Tuesday when he said Ukraine should be allowed to “neutralise” bases in Russia used to launch strikes.
“NATO member states, the United States, and capitals in Europe in recent days and weeks have been entering a new round of escalations in tensions,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Thursday.
Those pressing for Ukraine to be given a freer rein say they hope momentum is building for Washington and others to change course as Kyiv struggles to stop Russia’s offensive in the Kharkiv region.
As NATO allies wrestle with that issue, ministers in Prague are also trying to come up with a support package that keeps Ukraine satisfied as its eventual membership in the alliance remain a distant prospect.
After pressing hard at a summit last year, Kyiv has been told firmly by NATO countries — led by the United States and Germany — that it should not expect any concrete progress toward joining the alliance in Washington.
Stoltenberg instead wants to get alliance members to make clear, multi-year commitments on how much aid they’ll give to Ukraine in the future.
