By Leila Nezirevic
LONDON (AA) – Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said Wednesday that her country permits Kyiv to attack Russia with Danish weapons, as long as the use is within international law.
In an interview with TV2, Frederiksen said: “You are welcome to use what we have donated to Ukraine, also outside of Ukraine - that is, on Russian targets - if it is within international law.
“NATO’s Secretary General was very clear on this issue a few hours ago, that it is within the rules when you wage war because it is Ukraine that is being attacked by Russia.”
On Tuesday, French President Emmanuel Macron said Ukraine should be allowed to use French weapons, including long-range missiles, against targets inside Russia.
“We think that we must allow them to neutralize military areas from which missiles are launched and basically the military areas from which Ukraine is attacked,” Macron told reporters during a press conference with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Brandenburg, Germany.
Scholz also announced at the same conference that Germany would not prohibit use of German weapons on Russian military targets.
Yesterday, NATO's Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg urged the US and NATO countries in the EU to allow Ukraine to use Western-supplied missiles for strikes inside Russia.
However, some countries insist that their weapons should only be used on Ukrainian territory and not Russia’s.
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell thinks that Western leaders should avoid “risking escalation” when allowing Ukraine forces to use weapons on Russian territory.
However, he also pointed out during a meeting in Brussels on Tuesday that self-defense strikes against military targets on Russian territory "are a legitimate act under international law when done in a proportionate manner."
Borrell stressed that each EU member state should decide on individual basis when it comes to the issue.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday threatened the West with "serious consequences" if Ukraine is allowed to use Western long-range weapons on Russian territory, according to The Moscow Times.
According to Putin, Kyiv striking inside Russia could trigger a global conflict.
Earlier this month, the Danish government announced a new military aid package for Ukraine totaling 5.6 billion Danish krones ($813 million), of which almost half of the funds are directed for strengthening air defense, including F1-6s.
Frederiksen recently called on other European countries to follow Germany's example and provide Ukraine with more Patriot air defense systems.
Last month, the prime minister discussed with her Polish counterpart Donald Tusk the possibility of creating an iron dome to protect European cities from air attacks in case of war.