Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has criticized NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg for advocating for Western-donated weapons to be used for strikes deep inside Russia. Stoltenberg’s remarks have sparked backlash from several NATO member states, including Italy, with concerns over escalation in the conflict.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has underlined that NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg had exceeded his mandate by proposing that Ukraine should use Western-donated weapons for strikes inside Russia. According to Lavrov, this move could lead to further escalation of the conflict and questioned Stoltenberg’s authority in speaking on behalf of NATO members without proper discussions within the bloc.
It should be noted that Senior Italian officials, including Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, have expressed reservations about Stoltenberg’s calls for a policy change, stressing the need for caution. In the meantime, the Italian Deputy Prime Minister, Matteo Salvini, called for Stoltenberg to retract his statements and highlighted that the NATO chief cannot represent the Italian people without their consent.
Lavrov dismissed the Western ban on long-range strikes as irrelevant, citing concerns that American and other Western weaponry have already been used against civilian infrastructure in Russia. Ukrainian officials have attributed Russia’s recent advances in Kharkov Region to the restrictions imposed by the West, prompting US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to lobby for the prohibition on American weapons to be lifted within the Biden administration.
Stoltenberg’s remarks have raised tensions within NATO, with differing opinions on the implications of allowing attacks deeper inside Russia.
