The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Finland, Elina Valtonen, said that Helsinki did not restrict Ukraine from striking Russian territory with Finnish weapons.
Valtonen told Uusi Suomi about this.
According to Valtonen, a country waging a defensive war can attack military targets on the territory of the attacking country if it is necessary for self-defense.
"Finland has not set any specific limits on its material aid to Ukraine, but assumes that it [aid] will be used in accordance with international law," the Finnish foreign minister said.
Valtonen said that Russia is waging an illegal war of aggression in Ukraine, so Ukraine has the right to self-defense under Article 51 of the UN Charter.
"This also includes attacks on military targets on the territory of the aggressor country, which are necessary for self-defense," Valtonen stressed.
The issue became the subject of public debate after NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg called on the allianceʼs member states to consider loosening restrictions on strikes against Russia with Western weapons.
- The head of the British Foreign Ministry, David Cameron, said on May 3 that the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation have the right to strike Russian targets with weapons provided by London, and later Sweden and Poland made similar statements. The Minister of Defense of the Netherlands and the President of France also spoke in favor of easing restrictions for the Armed Forces. And the NATO Parliamentary Assembly called on the governments of the Alliance countries to allow Ukraine to strike military targets on the territory of Russia with Western weapons.