Russian Warnings Over Long-Range Weapons Not To Change EU Support for Ukraine: Stano
EC Spokesperson Peter Stano X/ @DrNeculai
September 13, 2024 Hour: 8:29 am
The use of long-range missiles to strike targets on Russian territory will change the nature of the conflict, Putin warned.
On Friday, Peter Stano, spokesperson for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy at the European Commission, indicated that the European Union will not change its stance on supporting Ukraine, despite warnings from Russian President Vladimir Putin regarding Ukraine’s use of long-range weapons.
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“Putin’s erroneous comments will not change our position… He constantly makes many erroneous comments,” Stano said, arguing that the Russian leader “started the war against Ukraine and, in doing so, also attacked modern European and Western democracies.”
“He is not only attacking Ukraine. He is attacking the values and principles we believe in. He is attacking international law and the world order based on rules. He is violating the UN Charter.”
Stano also noted that each country donating weapons to Ukraine must individually decide whether to lift restrictions so that Kyiv can use those weapons against targets on Russian territory. “There is no broad EU position on this,” he said, although he noted that the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, has requested freedom for Ukraine to defend its territory.
On Thursday, Putin warned that the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) would be at war with Russia if it authorizes Ukraine to use long-range missiles to strike targets on Russian territory.
“If that decision is made, it will mean nothing less than the direct involvement of NATO countries, the U.S., and European countries in the Ukrainian war,” he said, emphasizing that such a decision would change “the very nature of the conflict,” suggesting that it would no longer be limited to a war between the Russian and Ukrainian armies.
“And if that happens, considering the fundamental shift in the nature of this conflict, we will make the appropriate decisions based on the threats posed to us,” the Russian leader explained.
teleSUR/ JF Source: EFE
