Following Biden, Scholz authorises shallow strikes against Russia
31 May 2024 15:38
The German government has eased restrictions on the use of weapons transferred to Ukraine. The Ukrainian Armed Forces will now be able to carry out shallow strikes on Russian territory as part of the defence of Kharkiv region. This was stated by German government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports citing Bild.
“In recent weeks, Russia has been preparing, coordinating and carrying out attacks from positions in the Kharkiv region, in particular from the territory directly adjacent to the border. We are convinced that Ukraine has the right under international law to defend itself against these attacks. Ukraine can use weapons supplied for this purpose in accordance with its international legal obligations, including those supplied by us,”
– hebestreit said.
The German government’s decision came just after US President Joe Biden announced that Ukraine could use US weapons it had been given to strike Russian territory to defend the Kharkiv region. The caveat from Biden is that only military targets in the border area are allowed, while strikes deep into Russia with US weapons are still prohibited. Germany has taken a similar approach – their authorisation is limited to the defence of the Kharkiv region.
“Together with our closest allies and in close dialogue with the Ukrainian government, we are constantly adapting our support to the evolution of the war,”
– the spokesman added.
Two German weapons systems currently available to Ukraine are suitable for striking Russia: the Panzerhaubitze 2000 self-propelled howitzer and the Mars II multiple rocket launcher. The range of these systems in the Ukrainian modification is about 40 km.
