Borrell: Ukraine’s permission to use European weapons against targets in Russia does not equate to the EU’s participation in the war.

Before the start of an informal meeting of the EU Council of Defense Ministers, High Representative Josep Borrell emphasized: “I think it is absurd to say that the permission to hit targets on Russian territory means that we are at war with Moscow.

We support Ukraine, which is under attack from Russian territory. So, under international law, it can respond and attack the places from which these attacks are carried out. Nothing is surprising about that, whether you agree with it or not.” At the same time, he noted that this issue belongs to the competence of each member state and is not part of EU policy.

For example, Italy banned the use of its weapons for strikes on Russian territory. “We sent mostly defensive weapons, and now we will send a new Samp-T battery, which is defensive and cannot be used on Russian territory,” the head of the Italian Foreign Ministry emphasized. However, Czechia does not limit Ukraine’s use of the equipment it provides but understands the opposite position held by some of Ukraine’s allies.