German leader Olaf Scholz publicly rejected President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's call to Western allies to shoot down Russian missiles and drones over Ukraine.
Points of attention
- The head of Germany did not support the new idea of defending Ukraine with the use of Western weapons.
- NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg declared Ukraine's right to self-defense against Russian aggression.
- The Alliance supports the decision of the USA to cancel certain restrictions on the use of long-range missiles on the territory of the Russian Federation.
Scholz did not support Zelenskyy's new idea regarding the defence of Ukraine
According to the chancellor of Germany, as of today, he is not ready to lift restrictions on the use of Western weapons for strikes on targets on the territory of the Russian Federation.
I see a consensus that such steps are out of the question, and the US has also been obvious on this.
Olaf Scholz
Chancellor of Germany
As mentioned earlier, during the summit, the head of state, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, called on Kyiv's allies to strengthen Ukraine's air defence and to lift restrictions on strikes by Western weapons against targets on Russian territory.
He also noted that in April the partners helped Israel repel a massive combined strike by Iran and emphasised that missiles and drones are not "carriers of state sovereignty", so a collective will is needed to shoot them down.
How NATO reacts to Zelenskyy's appeals
According to Jens Stoltenberg, the Secretary General of the Alliance, Ukraine should have the right to strike on the territory of Russia, because, as you know, this is provided for by the right to self-defense.
He made such a loud statement after the Euro-Atlantic Council meeting.
Stoltenberg once again reminded the members of the bloc that this was a war of aggression, that Russia attacked its neighbour and violated international law.
According to international law, Ukraine has the right to self-defence. We help Ukraine realise this right by supplying weapons and equipment, including long-range missiles, particularly ATACMS.
Jens Stoltenberg
Secretary General of NATO
According to Stoltenberg, he supports the US decision to reduce restrictions on the use of long-range missiles on the territory of the Russian Federation.
