Germany says Ukraine can use its weapons to strike inside Russia

Berlin has authorized Ukraine to fire German-supplied weapons at targets in Russia, Chancellor's spokesman Olaf Scholz said on Friday, matching a decision by the United States.

kyiv has “the right under international law to defend itself” against attacks from within Russia, Steffen Hebestreit said in a statement.

Attacks from Russian territory have increased in recent weeks, particularly around the city of Kharkiv in northeastern Ukraine, where Russian forces launched a surprise ground offensive earlier this month.

Germany and other Western allies supporting kyiv are “convinced that Ukraine has the right… to defend itself against these attacks,” Hebestreit said. “To this end, he may also use the weapons provided for this purpose…including those we provide.”

Germany, kyiv's main military backer behind the United States, has sent large shipments of military equipment to Ukraine, including heavy artillery and rocket launchers.

Berlin has so far been reluctant to allow Ukraine to use German weapons to strike Russian targets, for fear of an escalation of the conflict.

But as Ukrainian forces come under increased pressure, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has pleaded with Western allies for more weapons and a freer hand in deploying those already delivered.

U.S. officials said Thursday that President Joe Biden has lifted restrictions on U.S.-supplied weapons by allowing kyiv to strike targets in Russia as it defends the Kharkiv region.