NATO Committee Chairman Says Ukraine Has Sound Military Reason To Strike Deeper Into Russia
According to RFE/RL, the chairman of the NATO Military Committee said the question of whether to allow Ukraine to strike deep inside Russia with Western-made long-range missiles is a "political discussion" but, from a military standpoint, would be within Ukraine's legal right.
Dutch Navy Admiral Rob Bauer told RFE/RL in an interview on September 14 that the lifting of the restriction is not a question that NATO is discussing, but in his opinion as military leader the answer would be yes.
"In accordance with the UN charter and in accordance with the law of armed conflict, if you are attacked by a nation, then you are allowed to defend yourself," Bauer said. "That defense doesn't stop at your borders. You are allowed to actually attack the enemy on its own territory."
Bauer spoke with RFE/RL as the NATO Military Committee -- the alliance's highest military authority -- met in Prague for a two-day conference to discuss strategic developments within the alliance in light of decisions made during the NATO summit in July.
The meeting took place a day after British Prime Minister Keir Starmer met U.S. President Joe Biden at the White House to discuss whether to approve Kyiv's request to use long-range missiles against targets in Russia.
Bauer said the threats voiced by Russian President Vladimir Putin and former President Dmitry Medvedev in response to those discussions showed their frustration over how the war is going 2 1/2 years after Russia launched it.
"If I think it's primarily a proof of how frustrated they are because Russia has not achieved any of their strategic goals in Ukraine," Bauer said.
Putin said earlier this week that the West would be "at war" with Russia if it allowed Ukraine to strike with Western-made long-range missiles, while Medvedev said on September 14 that Russia could destroy Ukraine's capital, Kyiv, with non-nuclear weapons if the West lifted its restrictions.
Medvedev, who now serves as deputy chairman of the country's security council, also said Moscow could resort to nuclear weapons.
Bauer said the threats must be taken seriously, but what NATO and the other allies of Ukraine are doing "is within the UN charter, within the international law. And we will continue doing so."
In his speech to the conference, Bauer praised the Ukrainian military for proving to the world that there is "nothing they cannot do" and only need the support from their allies to achieve their goals.
"And they will have it -- not only now, not only for the duration of the war, but also in the decades to follow," Bauer said in comments to the conference.
