Netherlands allows AFU to use its weapons against Russian targets

The Ukrainian army is allowed to strike throughout Russia with weapons supplied by the Netherlands.

This was reported by RBC-Ukraine with reference to the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.

The country's Defence Minister Ruben Brekelmans said that Ukraine could use Dutch weapons in Russia to defend itself in accordance with international law.

‘Ukraine has the right to self-defence. And if the country is attacked from the border areas or from Russian airfields, it can target military facilities. The same applies to enemy missiles - they can also be intercepted by our weapons over Russia,’ the defence minister said.

Brekelmans also added that ‘international law is not limited by distance’ and that ‘the right to self-defence does not stop 100 kilometres from the border’. ‘We have not imposed any restrictions on Ukraine on operational distance,’ he said.

The minister clarified that the permission to strike Russia also directly applies to the F-16 fighter jets that the Netherlands will provide to Ukraine.

In addition, Brekelmans called on other Western countries to lift restrictions on the use of weapons they supply to Ukraine.

Author - Dmitriy Levchenko, 10/09/2024