German PM Scholz opposes lifting restrictions on Ukraine’s use of Western weapons

Ukraine’s Western allies are experiencing disagreements over the use of aid-supplied weapons on Russian soil. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg had urged NATO allies supplying weapons to Ukraine to lift restrictions on their use against Russian military targets.

In an interview with The Economist on Friday, Stoltenberg stated, “It’s time for allies to reconsider some of the restrictions they’ve imposed on the use of the weapons they donate to Ukraine. Especially now, with intense fighting near Kharkiv, denying Ukraine the possibility of using these weapons against legitimate military targets on Russian soil makes their defense very difficult.”

Following these statements, it was reported that the White House was considering allowing Ukraine to use U.S.-supplied weapons on Russian territory.

During informal discussions at the NATO Parliamentary Assembly sessions, Ukrainian M.P.,  Yehor Cherniev mentioned that the White House has initiated the process to permit Ukraine to use U.S.-provided weapons on Russian territory.

However, there are Western states opposed to this plan. On Sunday, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz expressed his opposition to Ukraine using Western weapons against military targets in Russia.

“We have clear rules regarding the use of the weapons we supply. These rules were agreed upon with Ukraine and remain in force,” Scholz stated.

According to Scholz, there is no justification to change these rules.

Previously, in an interview with The Economist, Stoltenberg had suggested that NATO allies should consider allowing Ukraine to use Western weapons to strike military targets on internationally recognized Russian territory.

Germany is Ukraine’s second-largest arms supplier after the United States, having spent approximately 28 billion euros on military support for Ukraine.

However, Russian officials maintain that Western weapons will not prevent Russia from achieving its objectives.