NATO supports Ukraine's attack on Russian territory

NATO Secretary General says Ukraine has the right to attack Russian military targets outside its territory, including with weapons supplied by the West.

"The war Russia launched in Ukraine violated international law," NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said in an interview on February 20. "Under international law, Ukraine has the right to self-defense, including attacking legitimate Russian military targets outside of Ukraine."

NATO's secretary general has previously mentioned Kiev's right to self-defense against Moscow, but this is the first time he has publicly affirmed that Ukraine has the right to defend itself by attacking Russian military targets outside its territory, including with weapons provided by the West.

This could cross a “red line” drawn by Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has repeatedly warned Ukraine against using Western-supplied weapons to attack Russian territory, saying this could escalate the conflict.

The United States and other NATO members have previously banned Ukraine from using the weapons they have provided to attack Russian territory, fearing the war could spiral out of control. The West also initially delayed the transfer of many long-range weapons to Ukraine, fearing that Kiev could use them to strike targets outside its borders.

However, as the war dragged on, this view gradually changed. Last year, France and Britain provided Ukraine with Storm Shadow/SCALP-EG missiles with a range of 250-560 km, while Washington transferred to Kiev the ATACMS version with a range of 165 km.

US F-16 Fighting Falcon fighter jet flies in Alaska in June 2021. Photo: US Air Force — US F-16 Fighting Falcon fighter jet flies in Alaska in June 2021. Photo: *US Air Force*

Lieutenant General Serhiy Nayev, Commander of the Joint Forces Command, the top staff of the Ukrainian military, revealed earlier this month that Kiev would receive F-16 fighters and missiles capable of hitting targets at a distance of 300-500 km in the upcoming aid package. Analysts believe that this could be a weapon equipped for F-16 fighters, like the US JASSM series.

The F-16 multi-role fighter jet was developed by General Dynamics in the 1970s and is currently used by the US and its allies. Each F-16 costs about 30-35 million USD depending on the variant.

The F-16 can reach a maximum speed of 2,121 km/h at an altitude of 12,000 m, a maximum ceiling of 18,000 m with a range of 546 km. This fighter model is equipped with a 6-barrel 20 mm cannon, 11 hardpoints that can carry 7.7 tons of weapons.

The Netherlands announced on February 6 that it will provide six more F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine, bringing the total number of aircraft it has committed to delivering to Kiev to 24.

In addition to the Netherlands, Denmark and Belgium have also announced plans to supply F-16s to Ukraine. Kiev is expected to receive the first F-16s this year, after Ukrainian pilots complete their training.

Pham Giang (According to Ukrainska Pravda, Newsweek )

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