Eleven countries supported Ukraine's ability to use its own weapons to strike Russian territory. However, several other countries protested the decision, arguing that Ukraine should not have the right to use Western weapons to attack Russia.
Even after US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, who during his visit to Kyiv noted that the issue of Ukraine’s use of Western weapons should be resolved by Ukraine, Pentagon and other US officials continued to insist that restrictions on arms supplies to Ukraine had not been lifted. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has traditionally opposed granting Ukraine permission to use weapons to attack Russia. However, French President Emmanuel Macron pressured Scholz, especially during a joint press conference where he stressed the need to allow Ukraine to use weapons against Russia. Scholz responded that Western weapons should be used “with respect for partners and within the framework of international law,” but that this did not mean permission to attack Russia.
The Prime Minister of Belgium, when announcing the transfer of 30 F-16 fighters to Ukraine, made a statement about the limited use of these aircraft, indicating that strikes on Russia should not be carried out. Italy also opposed the use of Western weapons to attack Russia, where similar statements by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg were criticized. Recall that among the countries that gave Ukraine permission to use their weapons to strike Russia are the United Kingdom, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Poland, the Czech Republic, France, Finland, Sweden, the Netherlands and Canada. Other countries, in particular Hungary, Slovakia, Austria and Switzerland, have not publicly expressed their position. It is also worth noting that even if permission is granted to use weapons from some countries, this does not mean that Ukraine can use all the weapons received. For example, if Poland transfers weapons manufactured in Germany or the USA, Ukraine must obtain permission from these countries.
