We are not at war with Russia: Italy refuses to allow Ukraine to strike Russian territory
Photo: Antonio Tajani, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Italy (Getty Images)
Italy will not allow Ukraine to strike Russian territory with the transferred weapons. Its position on this issue has not changed, according to the Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs Antonio Tajani before the meeting of EU foreign ministers.
He noted that each country decides individually whether to allow Ukraine to attack Russia with the weapons provided.
According to Tajani, Italy has primarily provided defensive weapons. Specifically, Italy now intends to supply the SAMP/T air defense system, which cannot be used on Russian territory.
"We repeat that we are not at war with Russia, NATO is not at war with Russia, so Italy's position remains the same: our weapons are to be used on Ukrainian territory. Other countries will decide as they see fit," stated the Foreign Minister.
Background
One of the current issues for Ukraine is the permission to strike Russian territory with Western weapons. Ukrainian forces are currently heavily restricted in this regard.
For instance, the US allows the Ukrainian Armed Forces to use American weapons only for border area strikes for self-defense. Long-range strikes on Russian territory are prohibited.
As Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský noted today, August 29, his country intends to work with allies to allow Ukraine to use its weapons for attacks on Russian territory.
