'Right to self-defense'. Netherlands allows Ukraine to use its weapons deep inside Russian territory

Dutch Defense Minister Ruben Brekelmans has stated that Ukraine can strike military targets deep inside Russia using Dutch weapons, according to a report by Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.

"Ukraine has the right to self-defense. And if the country is attacked from border regions or from Russian airfields, then it can target military objects. The same applies to enemy missiles—they can also be intercepted by our weapons over Russia," Brekelmans said.

The minister noted that "international law has no distance limitations" and that "the right to self-defense does not end at a distance of 100 kilometers from the border." Therefore, Ukraine has no restrictions on the range of its operations, he stressed.

The Dutch defense chief clarified that the permission to strike Russian territory also applies to the F-16 fighter jets that the Netherlands will transfer to Ukraine.

Brekelmans called on other Western states to lift any restrictions on the use of weapons they supply to Ukraine.

Previously, the Netherlands had stated that it does not restrict Ukraine's use of F-16 fighter jets.

Additionally, by the end of the summer, Ukraine was expected to receive a batch of Leopard 2A4 tanks, which were purchased by Denmark and the Netherlands.

The Ukrainian Armed Forces will also receive a batch of Viking all-terrain vehicles from the Netherlands.