Stoltenberg: Each NATO ally to decide on Ukraine’s use of missiles in Russia

NATO chief welcomes discussions on Ukraine's potential use of long-range missiles against Russian territory, but emphasizes that final decisions rest with individual allies.

Sep 17, 2024 - 21:00

Stoltenberg: Each NATO ally to decide on Ukraine’s use of missiles in Russia

poland's proposal shoot down russian missiles rejected nato secretary general jens stoltenberg press conference ahead 2024 summit washington credit flickr/nato result

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has expressed support for ongoing discussions regarding Ukraine’s potential use of long-range missiles to strike targets within Russian territory, according to Politico.

Despite Ukraine’s appeals amid escalated Russian air attacks on Ukrainian cities, Western countries, including the US and the UK, have restricted Ukraine’s use of their long-range weapons like ATACMS and Storm Shadow missiles to prevent deep strikes inside Russia, allegedly aiming to avoid escalation.

Speaking to LBC radio on 16 September, Stoltenberg emphasized that the final determination rests with individual NATO allies:

“I welcome these developments and these decisions but it’s for individual allies to make the final decisions,” Stoltenberg stated, adding, “Allies have different policies on this.”

The topic has gained traction following talks between British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and US President Joe Biden in Washington on 15 September. The leaders discussed the possibility of allowing Kyiv to use long-range weapons, including US-made ATACMS and British Storm Shadow missiles, against targets in Russia. However, no decision was announced following their meeting.

Stoltenberg addressed concerns about potential Russian retaliation, stating,

“There are no risk-free options in the war,” he said, adding, “But I continue to believe that the biggest risk for us, for [the] United Kingdom, for NATO, will be if President Putin wins in Ukraine.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin has previously threatened that allowing Ukraine to strike with Western-made long-range missiles would amount to the West directly fighting Russia.

Similar threats came from Russia before the approval of almost every western weapon’s supplies to Ukraine, including artillery, tanks, and F-16 fighter jets.

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