German foreign minister doesn't rule out authorizing future Ukrainian strikes on Russian soil

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has not ruled out the possibility of Ukraine using German weapons for long-range strikes on Russian territory in the future, according to Tagesschau.

Baerbock noted that she does not want to openly discuss how far into Russian territory Ukraine could strike, as she believes the Russians could gain an advantage from such information.

The minister emphasized that Ukraine is not obligated to wait until it is attacked to respond.

"Ukraine's right to self-defense does not mean that a missile must first cross the border or hit a city like Kharkiv before it is allowed to defend itself. Even the best air defense cannot always prevent this," said the diplomat.

On September 30, 2024, Baerbock expressed support for Ukraine's right to conduct long-range strikes on Russian territory, despite German Chancellor Olaf Scholz's opposition.

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius has advocated for Ukraine to be able to strike military targets within Russia using long-range Western weapons, but he stressed that the decision should be made by the countries supplying the weapons.