NATO Secretary General: Aid to Ukraine weapons should be used to attack Russia

Reported on May 25 on the reference news website According to a report on the website of Russia Daily on May 25, NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg said in an interview with The Economist that Ukraine should be able to attack military facilities in Russia's territory widely recognized by the international community.

The picture shows NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg.

According to the report, he pointed out that it is time for NATO allies to consider whether it is necessary to lift restrictions on the use of weapons they aid Ukraine. According to him, it is necessary to do so now, because Kharkov, not far from the Russian border, is engaged in a large-scale fierce war.

Stoltenberg stressed: "Ukraine cannot use these weapons to attack legitimate military targets on the Russian mainland, making self-defense much more difficult."

At the same time, he denied the view that NATO members should use their own air defense systems to shoot down Russian missiles entering Ukraine. He also stressed that NATO does not intend to send ground troops to Ukraine. (Compiled by Tong Shiqun)

Extended Reading

Zelensky's "arch fire": NATO warplanes should shoot down Russian missiles

On May 20 local time, Ukrainian President Zelensky received an exclusive interview with the New York Times in Kiev. He not only urged the United States and European countries to take more actions to defend Ukraine, but also refuted concerns about the escalation of the nuclear conflict, and proposed that NATO warplanes shoot down Russian missiles in Ukraine's airspace.

It is reported that in this 50 minute interview, Zerensky made the loudest appeal so far for the United States and its NATO allies to provide more assistance. He was frustrated and puzzled that the West was unwilling to take more bold measures to ensure Ukraine's victory.

During this period, he also said to the Western "arch fire" that "everything over Ukraine should be knocked down", and he kept asking, "So what's the problem?", "Why can't we knock them down?", "What's the problem with NATO countries participating in this war?", "It's OK"

On May 20 local time, Ukrainian President Zelensky received an exclusive interview with the New York Times in Kiev. From The New York Times

The New York Times pointed out that Zelensky has been lobbying the West for a long time, especially for obtaining more weapons. However, his appeal in the interview this week coincided with the critical moment of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, when Ukrainian troops were retreating, while a new batch of weapons from the United States had not yet arrived at the front line in full. Analysts believe that Ukraine has never faced such a serious military challenge since the outbreak of the conflict.

In the interview, Zerensky listed on a list what he thought "the allies should do" to support Ukraine, which was also his most emotional moment. He believed that NATO should shoot down the Russian missile flying over Ukraine without any aircraft entering Ukraine's airspace, and claimed that this would be a "purely defensive tactic" and there would be no risk of direct combat with the Russian army.

"Technically, all this is possible. Shooting down Russian missiles that have entered Ukrainian territory from their aircraft. This is what we see in Israel, not even on such a large scale." Zelensky said.

According to the report, Zelensky's statement is to compare the situation in Ukraine with the situation that the United States and Britain helped Israel shoot down drones and missiles from Iran last month. However, analysts pointed out that this "direct intervention" of NATO may provoke Russia to retaliate, which has been resisted by western countries.

On May 20 local time, Ukrainian President Zelensky received an exclusive interview with the New York Times in Kiev. From The New York Times

Zelensky continued to "fire up". He said: "So my question is, what's the problem? Why can't we fight them down? Is this defense? Yes. Is this an attack on Russia? No. Are you shooting down Russian aircraft and killing Russian pilots? No, what's the problem with NATO countries participating in this war? There's nothing wrong with that. "

"(Should) shoot down (everything) over Ukraine." He further added: "(The West) give us weapons, (Let us) deal with Russian troops on the border." In addition, Zerensky also urged NATO to provide Ukraine with more F-16 fighter planes and Patriot air defense systems.

The New York Times pointed out that in addition to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, the political situation of Ukraine has reached a critical moment. On May 20, the last day of Zerenski's five-year term of office, the election originally scheduled for March this year was postponed due to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. He will continue to serve as president under the authorization of the martial law issued by the Ukrainian government, and his term of office may be extended until the end of the conflict.

However, this led to "anxiety" in Kiev. The Kiev Independence Daily said that the provisions of the Ukrainian Constitution on the extension of presidential power are relatively vague, and the retention of Zerensky has triggered domestic disputes in Ukraine. Opponents believe that Zelensky should not postpone the presidential election. Supporters said that it was in line with the principle of "continuity of rights" for Zerensky to perform his duties until the end of martial law.

As the main supplier of military assistance to Ukraine, US Secretary of State Blinken said during his visit to Kiev on May 14 that Ukraine can hold elections when all Ukrainians think the time is ripe. Russia immediately accused Zerensky of losing legitimacy. Russian Permanent Representative to the United Nations Nibianja said on May 21 that Zerensky's legitimate term of office had ended. "Any potential conflict mediator should take this into account.