The head of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s (NATO) military committee said Saturday that Ukraine has a strong legal and military right to strike deep into Russia to gain a combat advantage — reflecting the beliefs of a number of U.S. allies — even if the Biden administration balks at allowing Kiev to do so using American-made weapons.
“Any nation under attack has the right to defend itself. And that right does not stop at your own nation’s border,” said Admiral Rob Bauer, speaking at the close of the committee’s annual meeting, which was also attended by U.S. General CQ Brown, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Rob Bauer of the Netherlands also added that nations have the sovereign right to impose limits on the weapons they send to Ukraine. But standing next to him at a press briefing, Lt. Gen. Karel Rehka, chief of the General Staff of the Czech Armed Forces, made it clear that his country imposes no such restrictions on Kiev.
“We believe that Ukrainians should decide for themselves how to use it,” Karel Rehka said.
Their comments came as U.S. President Joe Biden considers allowing Ukraine to use U.S.-supplied long-range weapons to strike deep into Russia. And they hint at divisions over the issue.
Joe Biden met British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Friday after their top diplomats visited Kiev this week, which has come under renewed pressure to ease arms restrictions. U.S. officials familiar with the discussions said they believed Starmer was seeking Biden’s approval to allow Ukraine to use British “Storm Shadow” missiles for expanded strikes on Russia.
Mr. Biden’s approval may be needed because components of “Storm Shadow” are made in the United States. The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to share the status of private conversations, said they believed Mr. Biden would be willing to do so, but no decision has yet been announced.
Providing additional support and training to Ukraine was a key topic at the NATO chiefs meeting, but it was unclear Saturday whether debate over U.S. restrictions was discussed.
Many European countries have given strong support to Ukraine, partly because they fear they will be the next victim of an authoritarian Russia.
At the opening of the meeting, Czech President Petr Pavel urged the military leaders gathered in the hall to be “bold and open in articulating their assessments and recommendations. The more flexible and rounded they are, the less they will be understood at the political level.”
Allies, he said, must “take the right actions and the right decisions to protect our countries and our way of life.”
Military leaders regularly develop plans and recommendations that are then sent to NATO civilian defense secretaries for discussion and then to alliance leaders.
The United States allows Ukraine to use U.S.-supplied weapons in cross-border strikes to counter attacks by Russian forces. But it does not allow kyiv to fire long-range missiles, such as the ATACMS, deep into Russia. The United States has argued that Ukraine has drones capable of striking far and should use the ATACMS judiciously, as it has only a limited number of them.
Ukraine has stepped up calls for Washington to lift restrictions, particularly as winter approaches and kyiv worries about Russian gains during the colder months.