The administration of the USA has granted Ukraine permission to use American weaponry for strikes on targets deep within Russian territory, which overturns a political decision that should never have been made. Reports TSN. This was conveyed by Kontakty.UA.
Such a perspective was shared by Kurt Volker, an expert from the Center for European Policy Analysis and former U.S. Special Representative for Ukraine, in a comment to "Ukrinform".
Volker explained that Ukraine is a victim of external aggression, thus in accordance with Article 51 of the UN Charter, it has an inherent right to self-defense.
"Under the laws of armed conflict, Ukraine is entitled to strike any military significant target – it must only avoid attacks on civilian persons. There are no restrictions in international law regarding the range of weapon use," the expert stated.
He pointed out that while Russians are attacking Ukraine from very long distances, Washington has impeded Kyiv from retaliating at similar ranges.
"By limiting the range of U.S. weapon usage by Ukraine, the United States has unjustifiably imposed unilateral restrictions on Ukraine's self-defense, which exceeds any requirements of international law," Volker emphasized.
He added that the decision regarding the range of American weaponry was "completely arbitrary and made out of fear of 'provoking' Russia, rather than any moral or legal considerations."
The former U.S. Special Representative noted that Russian President Vladimir Putin was aware he was attacking Ukraine, and thus when he did so, he should have been prepared for the military consequences of that decision.
Volker believes that "changing the poor U.S. policy is good news," but there should not be "such a change made publicly," as it prematurely provides Russia with information about potential Ukrainian strikes.
"This unnecessary restriction on Ukraine's self-defense should have been simply lifted – period," the expert asserted.
Recall that The New York Times, citing U.S. officials, reported that Biden has allowed Ukraine to use long-range ATACMS missiles for strikes within Russia. However, Axios informs that the permission pertains to only the Kursk region.