Ukraine can use French weapons to strike Russia, says Macron

CNN
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Ukraine should be allowed to use French weapons, including long-range missiles, against targets in Russia from which Moscow attacks Ukraine, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Monday.

“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,” Macron said at a press conference with the chancellor German Olaf Scholz in Brandenburg, Germany.

“Ukrainian soil is under attack from bases in Russia. So how do we explain to the Ukrainians that we are going to have to protect these cities…if we tell them that they are not allowed to reach the point where the missiles are being fired from?

France has supplied Ukraine with an unspecified number of SCALP cruise missiles, according to the French Defense Ministry website.

SCALP missiles have a range of up to 155 kilometers (96 miles) and carry a 400-kilogram (881-pound) high-explosive penetration warhead, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies' Missile Threat Project.

The SCALP is the equivalent of Britain's Storm Shadow, which was also given to Ukraine and which British Foreign Secretary David Cameron said earlier this month could be used at the discretion of kyiv.

“As for what the Ukrainians are doing, in our opinion, it is their decision on how to use these weapons, they are defending their country, they were illegally invaded by Putin and they must take these measures,” he said. Cameron said during a visit to kyiv. . “We don't discuss the reservations we have about these things. But let's be absolutely clear: Russia launched an attack against Ukraine, and Ukraine has absolutely the right to retaliate against Russia.”

France has also supplied Ukraine with a range of military weapons, including Caesar self-propelled howitzers with a range of up to 42 kilometers.

Macron stressed that French weapons should only be used against targets from which attacks are launched in Ukraine.

“We must not allow them to strike other targets in Russia,” including civilian or military targets, the French leader said.

Germany's Scholz echoed Macron's comments and said Ukraine was allowed to defend itself as long as it respected conditions imposed by arms-supplying countries, including the United States, and international law.

“Ukraine has every opportunity under international law for what it is doing. This must be said explicitly,” Scholz said. “I find it strange that some say he should not be allowed to defend himself and take appropriate action.”

But Russian President Vladimir Putin said Ukraine could not use long-range weapons without significant support from NATO, and that such alliance involvement could trigger “a global conflict.”

For example, “long-range precision weapons cannot be used without space reconnaissance,” Putin said Tuesday during a state visit to Uzbekistan.

The “final target selection” or “launch mission” of Western systems must be carried out by “highly qualified specialists who rely on this reconnaissance data,” Putin said.

“So those officials from NATO countries, especially those based in Europe, especially in smaller European countries, should be fully aware of what is at stake,” he stressed.

“They must keep in mind that their countries are small and densely populated, which is a factor that must be taken into account before starting to consider attacking deep into Russian territory.”

At the same time, Ukraine received a significant commitment of support from Belgium on Tuesday, which said it would provide Kiev with 30 F-16 fighter jets over the next four years, according to the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky.

The agreement was part of a bilateral security agreement signed between the two countries on Tuesday in Brussels, according to the Ukrainian leader.

The deal includes at least $1.06 billion in Belgian military aid to Ukraine this year, with Belgium offering its long-term commitment to supporting Ukraine over the next 10 years, Zelensky detailed in a statement . job on X. The first F-16 planes from Belgium will be delivered this year.

“The agreement guarantees rapid security assistance from Belgium, modern armored vehicles, equipment to meet the needs of the Air Force and air defense of Ukraine, naval security, mine clearance, participation in the coalition artillery ammunition and military training,” Zelensky said.

The meeting follows a similar deal between Ukraine and Spain on Monday, with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announcing a $1.08 billion arms deal for Ukraine.

Alongside Belgium and Spain, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Denmark, Finland and Canada have also signed security agreements.