Ukraine's ability to hit targets on Russian soil in line with int’l law - EU spox

The European Union does not comment on NATO's decisions or statements, and at the same time shares the conviction that Ukraine, as a victim of Russian aggression, has a legitimate right to self-defense, including to hit military targets on the territory of the aggressor state.

EU spokesman Peter Stano said this at a briefing in Brussels on Friday, reports an Ukrinform correspondent.

"It is not our place to comment on the remarks of NATO Secretary General or NATO members. We had a similar discussion in the EU among defense ministers earlier this week. And high representative was very clear that the bottom line for us, the main position of the European Union is that Ukraine is fighting legitimate self-defensive war against an aggression," the spokesman said.

He noted that Ukraine has the right to self-defense, according to international law, and such self-defense may include strikes against an aggressor on its territory, when it comes to military targets.

Peter Stano emphasized that usually, the European Union strives to work out a common position on the most important political issues. At the same time, the decision to allow Ukraine to use Western-supplied weapons to attack military targets in Russia belongs precisely to the EU member states, which, each individually, donate such weapons to Ukraine to exercise its right to self-defense.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, today, ahead of the informal meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Prague, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg noted that Russia continues to escalate the war and attacks Ukraine from across the border. International law gives Ukraine the right to self-defense, including hitting military targets on the territory of the aggressor state, he noted.