Ukraine must be able to hit airfields deep inside Russia - Borrell

Ukraine is subjected to devastating missile and drone attacks from deep inside Russia every day, which destroy civilian infrastructure and kill civilians, so it must be able to hit airfields and launch sites on Russian territory.

EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell wrote this in his blog on the website of the European External Action Service, following his participation in the Ambrosetti International Economic Forum, which was held in Italy in Italy in early September and attended by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukrinform reports.

"Zelensky thanked Italy and other partners for the air defense systems they provided, but those were not enough to cover Ukraine’s vast territory. Especially because Ukraine still does not have authorization to strike the airfields and launch sites deep inside Russia from which these attacks originate. This allows the Russian aggressors to bring grief and destruction to Ukraine with impunity from a position of safety. […] If Ukraine is not allowed to respond by attacking the places from where attacks originate, Russia will continue to destroy Ukraine with impunity," Borrell said.

He noted that President Zelensky's message during his speech at the forum was unequivocal: Ukrainians want to end this war more than anyone else, but not at the cost of their own sovereignty. Russia left them no choice but to fight for their own survival.

"He [Zelensky] described the daily drone and missile attacks on hospitals, schools, libraries, and residential buildings, which kill ordinary Ukrainians every night. He spoke of underground shelters and of Ukrainian children that learn to read and write in basements and metro stations to protect them from missiles and drones provided by North Korea and Iran," Borrell said.

"We [the EU countries] have committed to do whatever it takes to help Ukraine defend itself, and defense means being able to respond to an attack efficiently. In my opinion, Ukraine should have the capability to target the source of these attacks – 'to strike the archers, not just the arrows.' This is why, during our last informal Foreign and Defense Ministers meeting in Brussels, I supported Ukraine’s right to target key Russian military installations involved in the invasion, wherever they may be, as it is allowed by international law which does not stop at Russia's border," he added.

According to Borrell, some Member States agreed with this position, while others viewed it as a matter of national discretion, so there is not a common EU position in this matter.

"What is clear, however, is that in the face of Russia’s escalating bombing campaign against civilian targets, the current policy is very costly in terms of Ukrainian lives and affects the credibility of our resolve to support Ukraine," he said.

He recalled that in the days following the Ambrosetti Forum, President Zelensky also discussed this critical question with leaders from the U.S. and the UK. The discussions are set to continue at the UN General Assembly meeting in New York next week.

"However, it is essential to understand that this is not about entering into a war with Russia or adding fuel to the fire, as some have suggested. Anyone in President Zelensky's position would ask for the very same thing. Because if Ukraine is not allowed to respond by attacking the places from where attacks originate, Russia will continue to destroy Ukraine with impunity," Borrell said.