Germany has allowed Ukraine to use German weapons against military targets in Russia to defend itself from Moscow's attacks, particularly in the Kharkiv region, Chancellor's spokesman Olaf Scholz was quoted as saying by AFP.
"Ukraine has the right, guaranteed by international law, to defend itself from these attacks. In order to do so, it can also use the weapons provided for this purpose," including "those we have supplied," Steffen Hebestreit said.
Earlier today, at a briefing in Odessa, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said Berlin would consider that very possibility.
Germany, which is Kiev's biggest military backer after the United States, has supplied Ukraine with piles of military equipment, including heavy artillery and rocket launchers.
So far, Berlin has been reluctant to let Ukraine use German weapons to strike Russian targets for fear of escalating the conflict.
But as Ukrainian forces come under increasing pressure, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has called on Western allies for more weapons and for freer deployment of those already delivered.
The issue was on the agenda during French President Emmanuel Macron's visit to Germany earlier in the week.
Kiev should be allowed to "neutralize" Russian military bases used to launch missiles into Ukraine, Macron said at a May 28 press conference with Scholz.
Subsequently, on 30 May, officials in Washington indicated that President Joe Biden had lifted restrictions on U.S.-supplied weapons to allow Kiev to strike targets in Russia in defense of the Kharkov region. / BGNES