Peter Stano, the spokesperson for the EU’s foreign policy service, stated during a Friday briefing that intimidation tactics by Russian leader Vladimir Putin regarding NATO and European countries’ involvement in the war if Western long-range missiles are used on Russian territory will not alter the European Union’s stance on supporting Ukraine.
As was reported, Ukraine had been asking its western partners to lift all restrictions on strikes inside Russia with their weapons to eliminate launchers of Russian missiles, aviation and military bases. As a series of media publications alleged on 10 September 2024, the West was close to giving its permission. Russian officials, including Putin, issued a series of threatening statements, as they usually do before each new weapons shipment to Ukraine.
“Putin regularly makes many false comments. And the fact is that he started the war against Ukraine,” Stano said. “Of course, nothing he says will change our positions as long as he continues this illegal aggression against the Ukrainian people.“
Stano promised that the EU would continue to provide support to Ukraine, including military assistance. He noted that discussions regarding the relaxation of restrictions on the use of weapons provided by member states are ongoing.
“We have seen the results of discussions in the form of individual decisions. There is no pan-European position on this issue. Of course, it depends on the member states that provide the weapons,” Stano explained.
The EU spokesperson emphasized that Putin not only attacked Ukraine but also the values and principles of Western democracies, international law, and the rules-based world order.
“He’s violating the UN Charter. So he launched a war on all of us. And Ukraine is brave enough to fight in this war… and it is paying the highest price,” Stano added.
This statement comes in response to Putin’s Thursday declaration that allowing Ukraine to strike Russia with Western rockets would mean direct participation of NATO and European countries in the war in Ukraine.
Meanwhile, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, responding to Putin’s intimidation, stated that it was the Russian leader who started the war in Ukraine and that he could end it at any moment.
The Guardian previously reported that the US and Britain, along with other allies, had agreed to allow Ukraine to hit military targets on Russian territory with Storm Shadow missiles, although there were no official statements on this matter yet.
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