“I think the time has come for allies to consider whether to lift some of the restrictions imposed on the use of the weapons they have supplied to Ukraine.” With these words in an interview with the Economist, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg put forward the hypothesis of dropping the ban imposed on Kiev not to use weapons supplied by the West to strike on Russian territory. Raids against “legitimate military targets” are, however, according to Stoltenberg, “especially necessary now that a lot of fighting is underway in Kharkiv, near the border”.
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The NATO leader’s words were immediately commented on in Moscow by Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova who sarcastically said: “Perhaps it is useful that the guests at the supposed peace conference in Switzerland know about Stoltenberg’s appeal.” Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani was skeptical and limited himself to stating: “We are an integral part of NATO but every decision must be taken in a collegial manner”. Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini was harsher: “We don’t even talk about it. Italy is not at war with anyone and I don’t want my children to grow up with the fear of the third world war”, he cut it short.
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While in Italy politics distances itself from the positions of the UN secretary general, Russia makes it known that it is advancing in eastern Ukraine and has conquered the village of Arkhanhelske. Although Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that the army managed to take control of the border area in Kharkiv, where the Russian occupiers managed to penetrate last month, the pressure on the region is not easing. In the middle of the afternoon, a Moscow bombing hit a hypermarket in the city center, where it was estimated there were over 200 customers and employees. At least 2 confirmed dead and dozens injured, but the number could rise quickly given the many missing. Moscow, for its part, denounced a Ukrainian bombing in Belgorod, in which two people were killed. In the evening, a new Russian raid targeted the center of Kharkiv, causing over 10 injuries according to local authorities.
“If Ukraine had had sufficient air defense systems and modern fighter planes, these Russian attacks would have been impossible”, observed Zelensky who returned to ask for new aid from the allies less than 24 hours after the last package of support announced by the United States.
In fact, Washington announced on Friday a new supply of military aid worth 275 million dollars. These include high-mobility artillery missile systems, called Himars, 155 mm and 105 mm artillery ammunition and shells, Javelin and AT-4 anti-tank systems, anti-tank mines, tactical vehicles, small arms and ammunition. “The signals from the American authorities are perfectly clear. Washington does not want peace in Europe. It is doing everything possible to prolong the conflict and increase human losses on the Russian and Ukrainian side, including among the civilian population”, is the accusation launched by the Russian ambassador to the United States, Anatoly Antonov.
