NATO urges lifting weapon use restrictions for Ukraine against Russia
On Monday, the NATO Parliamentary Assembly urged the international community to allow Ukraine to utilize the weapons it has received from its allies for military purposes against Russia. "The time has come for allies to consider whether they should lift some of the restrictions they have put on the use of weapons they have donated to Ukraine," said NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.
Stoltenberg emphasized that NATO should play a key role in coordinating and planning military assistance to Ukraine and that the Alliance should engage in developing a long-term financial assistance program for the country. These remarks were made during the meeting, which concluded a three-day session in Sofia, Bulgaria.
Slowdown in deliveries visible on the front
Stoltenberg pointed out that NATO allies' assistance to Ukraine has been unprecedentedly high, allowing Ukraine to regain control over 49,000 square kilometres of territories occupied by Russia at the beginning of the conflict. However, he noted that the recent slowdown in the promised aid deliveries has had a negative impact on combat operations.
Stoltenberg stressed that the decision to allow Ukraine to use the received assistance to attack military targets in Russia does not rest with NATO but with individual countries that provided such aid to Kyiv.
"The time has come for allies to consider whether they should lift some of the restrictions they have put on the use of weapons they have donated to Ukraine. Especially now when a lot of the fighting is going on in Kharkiv, close to the border, to deny Ukraine the possibility of using these weapons against legitimate military targets on Russian territory makes it very hard for them to defend themselves" emphasized Stoltenberg.
The NATO Secretary General also said the Alliance does not plan a training mission in Ukraine. Instead, Ukrainian soldiers are being trained in NATO countries. During the Alliance summit scheduled for July in Washington, a decision will be made to develop multi-year financial assistance frameworks for Ukraine.
NATO in the Black Sea?
Stoltenberg indicated three key topics to be discussed at the summit: improving the defence capabilities of allies, supporting Ukraine, and regional partnerships in the Asia-Pacific region.
Moreover, Stoltenberg stated that NATO is the most effective alliance in history because it can change and adapt to a constantly changing world.
The head of Bulgaria's interim government, Dimitar Glavchev, emphasized that NATO is the most stable guarantor of the country's security. At the same time, he noted that the Black Sea region has been severely impacted by the conflict in Ukraine and called on the Alliance to increase its presence there.
