NATO Secretary General Rutte on strikes against Russia: Ukraine has the right to defend itself

Commenting on Ukraine's desire to obtain permission to strike at military targets on the territory of the Russian Federation, the new NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said that Ukraine has the right to defend itself and, according to international law, this right  does not end at the border.

He said this during a press conference, according to a UNN correspondent .

Asked whether he supports Ukraine in its request to Western countries to lift restrictions on strikes deep into Russia, Rutte replied:

Let's not forget that Ukraine is fighting a war of self-defense. This means that Ukraine has the right to defend itself, and as we know, according to international law, this right does not end at the border. This means supporting Ukraine's right to self-defense. But each ally determines the level of its support for Ukraine. It is not for me to decide on behalf of the Alliance. It is an individual decision

Rutte also noted that one particular weapon will not solve the war, but the support of allies is extremely important for Ukraine.

“I can understand the Ukrainian request. But again, it is up to the allies to decide what to do. There are certain partners, such as the United States. Their leadership has spent billions  tens of dollars to support Ukraine...” he said.

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President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Ukraine is in dialogue with the US leadership to obtain permission to strike deep into Russia's military targets with Western weapons.

Ukrainian presidential spokesman Serhiy Nikiforov said that an official announcement on the permission to strike at Russian territory with Western weapons would be made after the first strikes. So far, no final decision has been made.