Finland declares that Ukraine is free to use its weapons to bomb Russia

Ukraine can use weapons provided by Finland to hit targets on Russian soil, senior officials in Helsinki said.

Finland’s Defense Minister Antti Häkkänen said his country has not set any restrictions on what Ukraine can do with the weapons it provides, Finnish broadcaster Yle reported. Häkkänen added that blocks have been imposed mainly by countries which have provided Ukraine with long-range weapons systems.

“If necessary, Ukraine should also strike military targets on the Russian side. It is a completely legitimate defensive battle that Ukraine is waging. The U.N. Charter allows military targets to be attacked across land borders,” said Jukka Kopra, chair of the Finnish parliamentary defense committee.

That’s a stark difference from other Western countries including Germany, where Chancellor Olaf Scholz is reluctant to send long-range Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine, fearing the weapons will be used to strike targets deep inside Russia and draw Germany directly into war with Russian leader Vladimir Putin.

“I encourage Germany to seriously consider it. The German government does know that they would be of great importance,” said Häkkänen.

Via Politico