Great Britain Selenskyj asks the British for help in the debate on the use of weapons
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi wants to achieve a lifting of the restrictions on the use of Western weapons with the help of the UK. As a guest at a cabinet meeting in London, he called on British Prime Minister Keir Starmer to show leadership on the issue, as reported by the PA news agency.
19.07.2024, 14:56
SDA
If the restrictions are lifted, it will be possible to attack Russian territories where weapons are being amassed, Selensky argued. This would help his country to strengthen its defenses and positions on the front.
Zelensky's visit was special in several respects: the Ukrainian was the first foreign head of state to be received in Downing Street since Starmer took office. The last time the then US President Bill Clinton had spoken in the British Cabinet was in 1997.
Chancellor Scholz again rejects demand
The UK had taken the position that the Ukrainians should decide for themselves how to use the weapons supplied, as long as international law was not violated. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD), however, once again rejected a general lifting of the restriction on German weapons at this week's meeting of the European Political Community near Oxford.
Whether Ukraine should also be able to use all weapons supplied by the West to attack military targets in Russia is a controversial issue among NATO states. According to information from alliance circles, countries such as the USA and Germany have linked the delivery of certain weapons systems to strict conditions for their use.
The background to this is the fear that the conflict with Russia could escalate further and NATO could become a party to the war. The USA and Germany made an exception for the defense of the large city of Kharkiv, which is located close to the Russian border.
