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NATO official: Ukraine has legitimate military reasons to strike deep inside Russia

2024-09-15 15:47:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

NATO official: Ukraine has legitimate military reasons to strike deep inside

The head of the NATO Military Committee, Admiral Rob Bauer. Photo from archive, NATO

The head of NATO's Military Committee said the question of whether Ukraine should be allowed to strike deep into Russia with long-range Western weapons was "a political decision" but from a military point of view, it would be within the legal right. of Ukraine.

Admiral Rob Bauer said in an interview with Radio Free Europe on September 14 that the lifting of the restriction is not an issue that NATO is discussing, but in his opinion, as a military leader, the answer would be yes.

"Under the UN Charter and under the law of armed conflict, if you are attacked by a state, you have the right to defend yourself," Bauer said. “This protection does not stop at your borders. You are allowed to attack the enemy in his territory".

Bauer spoke about the REL as NATO's Military Committee - the alliance's highest military authority - met in Prague for a two-day conference to discuss strategic developments within the alliance following decisions taken during the NATO summit that was held in July.

The meeting was held a day after British Prime Minister Keir Starmer met with US President Joe Biden at the White House to discuss whether to approve Kiev's request to use long-range missiles against targets in Russia.

Bauer said the threat expressed by Russian President Vladimir Putin and former President Dmitry Medvedev in response to those discussions showed dissatisfaction with how the war is going, two and a half years after Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

"I think it's evidence of how unhappy they are because Russia hasn't achieved any of its 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 attack with Western-made long-range missiles, while Medvedev said on September 14 that Russia could destroy the Ukrainian capital. Kiev, with non-nuclear weapons if the West lifts its restrictions.

Medvedev, who now serves as chairman of Ukraine's Security Council, also said Russia could use nuclear weapons.

Bauer said these threats should be taken seriously, but what NATO and Ukraine's other allies are doing "is within the UN Charter, within international law. And we will continue to do so."

In his speech at the conference, Bauer praised the Ukrainian military, which he said has proven to the world that "there is nothing you can't do." He said that the Ukrainian army needs the support of its allies to achieve its goals.

"They will have the support, not only now, not only during the war, but also in the following decades", said Beuer during the conference in Prague.

NATO allies, led by the United States, have donated billions of dollars in military equipment to help Ukraine wage the war, and Bauer said Ukraine's forces are growing and becoming "more and more interactive" every day. with NATO forces, bringing the country closer to NATO membership.

"One day, we will sit together under the NATO slogan," he said. "Ukraine deserves our support, not only for what we stand for as people, but also as NATO."

Bauer also said that NATO needs greater production capacity in the defense industry and should improve coordination in order to increase deterrence.

Lieutenant General Karel Rehka, Chief of the General Staff of the Czech Armed Forces, also spoke about the war in Ukraine. He said that this war is a matter of survival for Ukraine and a war for the principles of democracy, sovereignty and territorial integrity, which are principles that NATO exists to protect.

"It is important that we - who are in charge of our armies - provide all the necessary assistance to Ukraine, whether in the form of training or supplies of weapons and other military equipment," Rehkha said during the conference. "By supporting Ukraine, we also strengthen our unity and keep the Russian threat under control."

Bauer and Rehka agreed that more defense spending is needed. Rehka said that "it is clear that 2 percent of the Gross Domestic Product for defense spending is not enough."

Rehka also warned that threats from Russia come not only through conventional battlefields, but also through hybrid tactics, cyber attacks, disinformation campaigns and acts of kinetic violence.

"All these actions are designed to sow fear and undermine the unity of our societies. We need them to take a broad approach... that integrates our conventional military capabilities with strong cyber defenses and strong civil-military cooperation"./ REL