German Chancellor Olaf Scholz reiterated his position that Ukraine can use weapons supplied by Western weapons to respond to attacks carried out by Russia from its border areas, similar to the one launched against Kharkiv region in early May, Reuters reported, BTA reported.
„To defend itself against such attacks, Ukraine can use the weapons provided by us and our allies – always according to international legal obligations”, Scholz declared before the Bundestag.
Scholz's comments come after Russian President Vladimir Putin warned yesterday that allowing Kiev to strike Russia with increasingly powerful weaponry was a major escalation that was bringing the West closer to war with Russia.
Russian President Vladimir Putin warned the West yesterday that Russia could use all available means to defend itself if its sovereignty or territorial integrity were violated, Reuters reported. The agency notes that the Russian president said this in response to a question about the risks of nuclear war over Ukraine.
The West has repeatedly accused Russia of threatening to use nuclear weapons, but this is wrong, said Putin, who pointed out that it was the United States that used nuclear weapons against Japan in World War II. Putin said this at a meeting with heads of world news agencies yesterday in St. Petersburg, noting that Russia's nuclear doctrine allows for the use of such weapons in response to a range of threats.
"For some reason the West thinks Russia will never use them," Putin said. We have a nuclear doctrine, and if someone's actions threaten our sovereignty and territorial integrity, we think it is possible to use all the means at our disposal. This should not be taken lightly, superficially," the Russian president pointed out.