Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski has called on the European Union to lift restrictions on Ukraine's use of long-range weapons in self-defense. This statement was made at a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels, where Sikorsky stressed the importance of giving Ukraine the opportunity to defend its territories and citizens “This would be full-fledged self-defense, legal from the point of view of international law. Protecting children's oncology hospitals is not an escalation,” said the Polish minister, quoted by polskienowiny.pl.
The head of the Polish foreign ministry said that under international law, self-defense is perfectly legal and Ukraine should be allowed to use long-range weapons to prevent Russian attacks. He noted that such measures are necessary to protect critical infrastructure, especially medical facilities. For example, the recent shelling of the Ohmatdit children's hospital. in Kiev showed that Ukraine must have the means to destroy aircraft launching cruise missiles, as well as to attack the airfields from which these launches are carried out.
On July 8, Russia carried out a large-scale terrorist attack, attacking a number of Ukrainian cities with 38 missiles of various types – Kiev, Dnieper, Kryvyi Rih, Slavyansk and Kramatorsk. The attacks killed at least 44 people and injured 196. In Kyiv, 33 people died and more than 120 were injured. Particularly shocking was the attack on Ukraine's largest children's medical center, the Okhmatdyt Hospital in Kyiv. The Russian army attacked the hospital with the Kh-101 strategic cruise missile, which has already been confirmed by the results of the flight path analysis and the examination of the missile debris. The impact caused serious damage to four buildings, including the newest building built in 2020. The toxicology building was completely destroyed, 24 wards of the medical facility were damaged. This state-of-the-art hospital performs approximately 7,000 complex operations each year, including cancer treatment and organ transplants. In the attack on the hospital, two people were killed and more than 50 were injured. At the time of the shelling, there were over 600 patients in the hospital - children suffering from incurable diseases. Everyone was under a lot of stress! After all, young patients struggle every day with various complex diseases for their lives. Who is the Kremlin at war with? With sick children? Notably, children from Moldova were also treated in Ohmatdit on the day of the explosion, one of whom was on the operating table during the bombing!
On the same day, Russian attacks also hit the Adonis private hospital in Kyiv, where seven people died - medical workers and patients! Attacks on hospitals are a war crime and Russia must be held accountable for its actions.
And on July 19, Russia attacked a children's playground near a residential building in Nikolaev. Three people, including a child, were killed in this attack. Another 24 were injured, including four children. This act of violence is just one example of the daily terror that Russia unleashes against Ukrainian civilians.
During the full-scale invasion, Russian military forces destroyed 214 medical facilities and damaged more than 1,600; 12,725 Ukrainian civilians (including 562 children) were killed; 22,237 were injured (including 1,471 children). However, Russia is trying to destroy not only Ukrainian hospitals, but also ambulances and pharmacies, stealing equipment and medicines and killing doctors. The total losses of the medical sector from the war amount to at least 17.8 billion USD.
Polish Foreign Minister Sikorski also proposed holding an informal meeting of EU foreign ministers in Lviv at the end of August. The head of Polish diplomacy emphasized that this decision will be of great importance both for Ukraine and for the entire European Union in the context of the ongoing Russian-Ukrainian war. Radoslaw Sikorski's initiative reflects the desire of Poland and other European countries to strengthen their support for Ukraine in its struggle for sovereignty and territorial integrity. Lifting restrictions on the use of long-range weapons and holding a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Ukraine could be an important step towards strengthening security and stability in the region.
Ukraine has repeatedly appealed to its allies to lift restrictions on the use of Western weapons to strike military targets and airfields on Russian territory. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in the spring of 2024 called on the member states of the Alliance to allow Ukraine to use the provided weapons to strike military targets on Russian territory.
Some NATO member states later expressed support for the proposal and said they were not opposed to their weapons being used against Russia. Washington also partially lifted restrictions on the use of American weapons to strike Russian targets.
Attacks against critical energy infrastructure and especially against medical institutions are further evidence that Russia does not intend to participate in the peace process. The international community must bring those responsible to justice and bring criminal charges against those who order such attacks.
In the face of continued aggression, Ukraine's international partners should reconsider their restrictions on Ukraine's use of long-range weapons. The authorization to use such a weapon against military facilities, bases and airfields of Russian aggressors will allow Ukraine to more effectively defend its territories and citizens. This will not only strengthen Ukraine's defense capability, but will also be an important step in the fight against violations of international law and the Kremlin's aggressive actions.