Poland’s deputy defense minister Cezary Tomczyk claims Ukraine has right to use Western arms to hit longer-range targets in Russia
Poland has no objections to Ukraine using Western weapons, including those provided by Warsaw, to strike targets deep within Russian territory, Polish Deputy Defense Minister Cezary Tomczyk has said.
His comments come as Kiev’s Western backers have been debating whether or not their donated long-range weapons could be used to strike Russia. Some have argued that there should be no ban on such a use of Western munitions while others, notably the US, have stressed that the restriction is necessary to prevent an escalation of the conflict.
Speaking to Radio ZET on Wednesday, Poland’s Tomczyk stressed that “there are no such restrictions on the Polish weapons supplied to Ukraine,” and argued that other Western countries should also lift their limitations on use of the weapons they’ve contributed.
Last week, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg also insisted that bloc members should allow Kiev to use their weapons to attack deeper into Russia, arguing that maintaining such a ban amounted to denying Ukraine the ability to defend itself.
Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics has also agreed with lifting the restriction on where to fire the weapons provided, stating that there is “no rational pragmatic reason not to allow Ukraine to use those weapons against Russia in a way that is the most efficient.”
Moscow has vehemently condemned the possibility of Western weapons being used against Russia, with Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov arguing that NATO’s Stoltenberg had exceeded his authority in calling for the lifting of the ban.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has also stressed that Kiev’s foreign backers should be aware that long-range strikes on Russia using Western weaponry would represent a serious escalation of the conflict.
“This constant escalation can lead to serious consequences. If these serious consequences occur in Europe, how will the US behave, bearing in mind our parity in the field of strategic weapons? Hard to say. Do they want global conflict?” Putin said on Tuesday.
Some NATO members have also rebuked calls for more strikes on targets in Russia, with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni urging Stoltenberg to be “very careful” with such statements.
Italy’s Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini has also stated that “NATO cannot force us to kill in Russia,” arguing that Rome is giving Ukraine weapons only to defend itself, not to “fight, strike and kill outside its territory.”
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