WASHINGTON—Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is calling on NATO members to remove restrictions on the embattled nation’s ability to strike military targets inside Russia.
Mr. Zelenskyy said on July 11 that removing all restrictions on targeting military units in Russia will be necessary to achieve victory.
“If we want to win, if we want to prevail, if we want to save our country … we need to lift all the limitations,” Mr. Zelenskyy told reporters at the 75th annual NATO summit in Washington.
He said it is “crazy” that Ukrainian forces cannot freely retaliate against missile installations in Russia that have launched attacks against civilian infrastructure in Ukraine, such as a Russian strike on a children’s hospital in Ukraine on July 8.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg agreed, and said that decisions to strike Russian military assets in Russian territory should be left to Ukrainian leadership.
“The right to self defense includes also the right to strike legitimate military targets on the territory of Russia,” Mr. Stoltenberg said.
“There’s no doubt that Ukraine has the right to use weapons they received or their own weapons … to hit targets on Russian territory.”
Several NATO member states have independently issued restrictions on how Kyiv uses their security assistance. Most notable among them is the United States. The Biden administration has, with few exceptions, long restricted Ukraine’s use of U.S. systems to strike deep into Russian territory.
Russia’s most recent wave of attacks against civilian infrastructure in Ukraine appears to have initiated a sea change in that norm, however. Some nations, including the UK, approved Ukraine’s use of missiles against targets in Russia earlier in the day.
Mr. Stoltenberg also noted that the shifting nature of the front lines means that there are now more legitimate targets in Russia.
Whereas most targets up until now were located in occupied portions of Ukraine, a new Russian front near Kharkiv has led to the front line and the border line being roughly equivalent, Mr. Stoltenberg said. In other words, Ukraine cannot strike Russian forces in some battle spaces without striking inside of Russia.
“I think it’s important to remember this is this is a war of aggression launched by Russia against democratic friendly neighbor, Ukraine,” Mr. Stoltenberg said.
NATO allies are also rededicating themselves to Ukrainian security with a “substantial package for Ukraine” and a promise to spend minimally “40 billion Euros” next year to sustain Ukraine’s defenses against Russian aggression.
Most of that assistance will be borne by the European members of NATO, who will also be taking over responsibility for the coordination and provision of most international security assistance from the United States.
The alliance has also announced that Ukraine is on an “irreversible” path to NATO membership, which Mr. Stoltenberg said earlier in the week would be required to prevent future Russian attacks after a cease-fire is achieved.
Mr. Zelenskyy acknowledged that Ukraine is making progress on its quest for membership, but said the nation still had some ways to go, and likely would not be extended membership until the war is finished.
“We are doing and will continue to do everything to ensure that [we are ready] when the day comes when Ukraine is invited and becomes a NATO member. And I am confident we will achieve this.
“I think the next step will be mediation and after that will be membership.”
Mr. Zelenskyy described the deliverables announced this week at the NATO Summit as a win-win for Ukraine and NATO. Whereas Ukraine received the partnerships and weapons it needed to continue the fight, he said, NATO would eventually receive a new army capable of contributing to the collective defense.
“The alliance has truly become stronger,” he said. “I think this is a success for both of us. We strengthen NATO. We’re strong guys. We have a strong army. And we are fighting against this tyrant Putin.”
