EU Parliament Approves Ukraine’s Usage of Western Weapons on Russian Military Targets

Strasbourg: European Parliament, the legislative body of the European Union, has passed a resolution to lift current restrictions hindering Ukraine from using Western weapons systems against legitimate military targets in Russia. 

The resolution was passed with 425 votes in favour, 131 against and 63 abstentions. 

What Did Resolution Say?

“Ukraine cannot fully exercise its right to self-defence and remains exposed to attacks on its population and infrastructure,” the resolution read. 

The European Parliament in its statement said, “Parliament underlines that insufficient deliveries of ammunition and restrictions on their use risks offsetting the impact of efforts made to date, and deplores the declining volume of bilateral military aid to Ukraine by EU countries.” 

Members of the European Parliament reiterated their call for member states to fulfil their March 2023 commitment to deliver one million rounds of ammunition to Ukraine, and to accelerate the delivery of weapons, air defence systems and ammunition, including TAURUS missiles. 

“They also restate their position that all EU countries and NATO allies should collectively and individually commit to annual military support for Ukraine militarily of no less than 0.25% of their GDP ,” an official statement released by EU Parliament read. 

Earlier, the head of NATO's military committee said Saturday that Ukraine has the solid legal and military right to strike deep inside Russia to gain combat advantage — reflecting the beliefs of a number of US allies — even as the Biden administration balks at allowing Kyiv to do so using American-made weapons.

US Has Not Allowed Ukraine To Attack Russia Deep-Inside Using Its Weapons

The US allows Ukraine to use American-provided weapons in cross-border strikes to counter attacks by Russian forces. But it doesn't allow Kyiv to fire long-range missiles, such as the ATACMS, deep into Russia. The US has argued that Ukraine has drones that can strike far and should use ATACMS judiciously because they only have a limited number.

Ukraine has increased its pleas with Washington to lift the restrictions, particularly as winter looms and Kyiv worries about Russian gains during the colder months.