Germany "cautiously" inclined to allow Ukraine to hit Russia with German weapons – Politico

The German government is gradually and "cautiously" abandoning its reservations regarding granting Ukraine permission to strike with German weapons on the territory of Russia, Politico writes, quoting and analyzing the statements of the country's leaders and representatives.

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For example, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Tuesday that Ukraine can use weapons provided by Germany "within the framework of international law," without providing details.

He added that he considers it "strange when some people have discussions and say that they [the Ukrainians] are not allowed to defend themselves and take measures that are suitable for this."

The next day, after a number of other countries issued clear statements in which they advocated Ukraine striking an aggressor state with their weapons, Berlin attempted to explain what Scholz meant.

Chancellor's spokesman Steffen Hebestreit said that "Ukraine's defensive action is not limited to one's own territory, but [can] also be expanded to the territory of the aggressor", stressing also that he could not disclose the exact agreements with Kyiv regarding the use of German weapons, as they are "confidential ".

An unnamed source familiar with the German government's position also said Scholz was in favor of allowing Western weapons to be used against targets inside Russia, without elaborating.

On May 25, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that Ukraine should have the right to strike Russia with Western weapons.

On May 28, Emmanuel Macron advocated giving Ukraine permission to strike military bases on Russian territory with Western weapons.

On May 29, the Finnish Minister of Foreign Affairs stated that Ukraine can strike targets on the territory of Russia with weapons transferred to the state by Helsinki.

On the same day, Canada also spoke in favor of this.