NATO allies should “consider” lifting restrictions on Ukraine’s use of NATO weapons to hit targets on Russian territory, the alliance’s secretary general said on Thursday.
“I believe the time has come to consider some of these restrictions so that Ukrainians can really defend themselves,” Jens Stoltenberg said in a speech in Prague ahead of a meeting of NATO foreign ministers.
Some NATO countries supply weapons to Ukraine without restrictions, but others stipulate that they may only be used against targets on Ukrainian territory.
Stoltenberg said that as the war moved closer to the Russian border, Russia could attack Ukrainian forces from both sides of the border.
He also highlighted shortcomings in NATO support to date. “In recent months we have seen serious delays in the delivery of military ammunition, and serious gaps, for example when it comes to air defense and ammunition,” Stoltenberg said.