As of: March 1, 2024, 9:31 p.m
By: Tadhg Nagel
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Press
Split
Finland advises Ukraine to attack targets on Russian soil as part of “legal defensive struggle”.
NATO sees it similarly.
Helsinki - Finland has given Ukraine permission to use long-range missiles against targets inside Russia.
Helsinki sees this crossing of one of Russian President Vladimir Putin's so-called red lines as a possible solution to the lack of weapons on the battlefield.
Putin has repeatedly warned NATO countries that they risk expanding the war in Ukraine if they give Kiev weapons that can achieve goals in Russia.
Despite these threats, Ukraine has received such weapons without any signs of retaliation from Putin.
Now Finland, which joined NATO last year despite threats from Russia, has approved a new military aid package worth $205 million.
Finnish Defense Minister Antti Hakkanen told Finnish broadcaster
Yle
on Thursday (February 28) that Ukraine could use weapons provided by Finland to attack targets in Russia.
Ukraine should decide for itself whether to use weapons - Germany should supply Taurus missiles
Hakkanen also noted that other allies had provided Ukraine with “long-range missile systems”;
It is up to Kiev to “determine how these should be used”.
Although these countries have decreed that their long-range weapons should not be used against targets on Russian soil, Finland does not share such concerns.
In the same breath, he called on Germany to send Taurus missiles “if they want to help Ukraine win.”
He encourages “Germany to seriously consider this,” after all, the German government knows “that they would be of great importance.”
Finnish Defense Minister Antti Hakkanen advises Ukraine to attack targets on Russian soil.
© IMAGO/Marina Takimoto
The demands are in stark contrast to the stance of other Western countries, including Germany.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz continues to reject the delivery of long-range Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine.
He fears that Germany could be drawn directly into war with Russia if the weapons were used to attack targets deep inside Russia.
Chancellor Scholz fears consequences - NATO Secretary General strengthens Ukraine's self-defense
In Finland people seem to be less worried about this.
The chairman of the Finnish Parliament's Defense Committee, Jukka Kopra, went even further.
“If necessary, Ukraine should also attack military targets on the Russian side.
It is a completely legitimate defensive battle that Ukraine is waging.
The UN Charter allows military targets to be attacked across land borders,” said Kopra.
Otherwise, “these military objects would hit the Ukrainian side.”
Ukraine is waging an “absolutely legal defensive struggle”;
The UN Charter therefore allows “attacks on military targets across land borders”.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg made a similar statement to the state-funded US media channel Radio Liberty
last week
, saying that Ukraine had the right to attack “legitimate military targets” in Russia with weapons supplied by the West.
“According to international law, Ukraine has the right to self-defense,” said Stoltenberg.
This “also includes strikes against legitimate military targets, Russian military targets outside Ukraine.” It is international law, and “of course” “Ukraine has the right to do that to defend itself.”
(tpn)