NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told the German weekly Welt am Sonntag that Kyiv’s right to self-defense justifies Ukraine’s advance into Russian territory.
“Ukraine has a right to defend itself.” Stoltenberg informed the paper that NATO had no knowledge about Ukraine’s plans beforehand and did not have a role in them, and that this right does not stop at the border, as per international law.
Ukraine’s military campaign is entirely up to Kyiv, but the country is taking a risk by pushing forward into Russian territory, according to the head of NATO.
“Like all military operations, this comes with risks. But it is Ukraine’s decision how to defend itself,” he said.
At a meeting on Wednesday, the NATO-Ukraine Council, established last year to facilitate closer coordination between the alliance and Kyiv, also discussed the incursion.
Kyiv started a significant cross-border incursion into the Kursk region on August 6.
