The US administration's authorization to use American weapons to strike targets deep inside Russian territory reverses a political decision that should never have been made. This opinion was expressed by Kurt Volker, an expert from the Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA) and former US special representative for Ukraine, in a comment for the Ukrinform news agency.
Volker explained that Ukraine is a victim of external aggression and, in accordance with Article 51 of the UN Charter, has an inalienable right to self-defense.
"According to the laws of armed conflict, Ukraine has the right to strike any militarily significant target - it must avoid firing only at civilians. There are no restrictions in international law on the scope of the use of weapons, Volcker explained.
He emphasized that while Russia attacked Ukraine from very long distances, the US prevented Kiev from retaliating from the same distance.
"Limiting the range of use of American weapons by Ukraine, the US unjustifiably imposed unilateral restrictions on Ukraine's self-defense, which exceeds any requirements of international law,”, the expert says.
According to him, the decision regarding the scope of use of the weapons was "absolutely arbitrary and was taken out of fear of provoking Russia, not for moral or legal reasons".
According to Volcker, "the change in bad US policy is good news”.
However, such a change should not be made publicly, as it gives Russia advance information about potential Ukrainian strikes, the expert notes.
"This unnecessary restriction on Ukraine's self-defense should have simply been repealed – and period“, he summed up.
President Joe Biden reversed a decision that should never have been made
Kurt Volker stressed that while Russia has attacked Ukraine from very long distances, the US has prevented Kiev from striking back from the same distance
Nov 18, 2024 12:20 167
