Leader Of NATO And European Allies Press US To Greenlight Ukraine Attacks Inside Russian Territory

(PatriotWise.com) — The Biden administration is under increasing pressure from Western allies to lift its restriction preventing Ukraine from using US-supplied weapons to strike military targets on Russian soil as Russian forces continue bombarding northeastern Ukraine and Donetsk from positions inside Russia.

When the administration first authorized the transfer of advanced munitions and weapons systems in May 2022, it did so only after receiving direct assurances from President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s government that the US weapons would not be used to attack Russia.

However, Moscow’s latest operations in Kharkiv and Donetsk are being staged from positions just over the border in Russia.

Last month, a group of lawmakers from Kyiv urged administration officials to lift the longstanding restriction, arguing that it prevented Ukraine from defending itself against the latest Russian offensive.

In a recent interview, President Zelenskyy warned that the Biden administration’s restriction gave Russia a “huge advantage” in the war.

While visiting Bulgaria on May 27, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg argued that Ukraine’s ability to defend itself was being harmed by prohibitions against using Western-supplied weapons on Russian soil.

Defense Minister Kejsa Ollongren of the Netherlands echoed Stoltenberg’s comments, saying on May 28 that preventing Ukraine from striking within Russia has left it fighting the war “with one hand tied behind its back.” Ollongren said lifting the restriction should not be open for debate and urged Ukraine’s Western allies to alter their position.

Stoltenberg has insisted that each NATO country must decide for itself whether to allow Ukraine to use its weapons to directly strike Russia to allow NATO to keep its distance from the war.

NATO members Finland, Poland, and Canada last week lifted their restrictions to allow Ukraine to strike Russia, while France and Germany okayed the use of weapons with certain limitations.

While visiting Spain on May 27, President Zelenskyy said roughly 3,200 bombs had been dropped on Ukraine in May alone. He said Ukraine’s partners who have refused to allow it to strike on Russian territory “should understand that air defense is defense, not offense.”