A major NATO country says Ukraine should be allowed to use Western weapons on targets in Russia, on one condition.

• The French president said Ukraine should be allowed to use Western weapons to strike targets in Russia.

• But only the positions used by Russia to launch attacks against Ukraine, said Emmanuel Macron.

• Other Western leaders have urged their allies to lift a ban on Ukraine using its weapons in Russia.

French President Emmanuel Macron says Ukraine should be allowed to use weapons supplied by its Western allies to target positions inside Russia – but on one condition.

Macron told a news conference on Tuesday that Ukraine should be able to target military bases in Russia that are directly used to launch attacks against Ukraine.

“We think we should allow them to neutralize the military sites from which the missiles are fired and, essentially, the military sites from which Ukraine is attacked,” he told reporters.

Macron held a map showing military bases stationed within Russia's borders, where Russian forces have expanded and launched offensive operations.

“As you can see, Ukrainian soil is being attacked from bases in Russia,” he said, adding: “How do we explain to the Ukrainians that they are going to have to protect these cities and everything that we see around Kharkiv if we tell them “You are not allowed to reach the position where the missiles are being fired from?”

Macron said the message NATO is currently sending to Ukraine is: “We give you weapons, but you cannot defend yourself.”

His statement comes as other world leaders call for policy change.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told The Economist last week that some restrictions should be lifted because they make it very difficult for Ukrainian soldiers to defend themselves along the border with Russia.

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell also joined Stoltenberg's call, adding that NATO countries must balance the risk of escalation with the need for Ukrainians to be able to defend their country.

In recent weeks, Ukraine has had to face a series of Russian offensives, notably in Kharkiv, which borders Russia in the northeast of the country.

Ukrainian soldiers in Kharkiv were forced to watch as Russia assembled its troops across the border without being able to touch them, and then suffered losses it could have avoided, a Ukrainian commander told the Times of London.

Despite being a major provider of military aid to Ukraine, the United States has repeatedly stated that it will not allow Ukraine to use the weapons it has provided to strike targets on Russian soil.

But there are signs that she could change her mind. Last week, The New York Times reported that U.S. officials were debating abolishing the rule, which Ukraine says seriously hampers its ability to defend itself.

According to Macron, Ukraine's NATO allies should allow Ukraine to strike inside Russia, but it should not be allowed to hit civilian or other military targets.

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