Restrictions on Ukraine's use of Western weapons against military targets in Russia should be lifted - President of NATO PA

  • 2024-10-28
  • LETA/TBT Staff

RIGA - Ukrainians should be freed from restrictions preventing them to use supplied weapons against military targets in Russia, Gerry Connolly, President of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly (NATO PA), told LETA. 

Connolly said that initially it was important for some pro-Ukraine countries to contain the war and not give Russia an excuse to expand it, including to other countries in Europe. In the view of the NATO PA president, there may have been reasons to do so some time ago, but Vladimir Putin shows no inclination to stop now.

"I don't understand why he can use drones and bomb anywhere in Ukraine with impunity and drag foreign troops into the fighting. Meanwhile, we are telling the Ukrainians that they cannot use the supplied weapons to retaliate or destroy military sites in Russia. I think this is wrong and I believe that Ukrainians should be given this right," said Connolly.

Asked whether there would be any change in support for Ukraine after the upcoming US presidential election, the NATO PA president expressed hope that this would not happen. He himself endorses US Vice President and Democratic candidate Kamala Harris in the elections. Connolly stressed that if she wins, the US will continue its current position of full support for Ukraine and NATO, while if former US President Donald Trump, the Republican Party candidate, wins, it will be difficult to maintain the current support for Ukraine.

Asked if conflicts in other parts of the world, such as the Middle East, are diverting US attention from Ukraine, Connolly expressed doubts, while acknowledging that the situation in the Middle East is a major challenge for all. In his view, this is yet another example of the high cost of a failed peace process. According to Connolly, it is a reminder of the importance of diplomacy, alliances and values.

Next year, the NATO Summit will be held in The Hague, Netherlands. Asked what issues member states should agree on before the summit, Connolly noted that the Madrid summit, for example, reviewed the Alliance's ten-year strategic concept. It would be important to revisit this document, he said. It stated clearly and unequivocally that NATO is a coalition based on shared democratic values and that the Alliance is ready to fight for them. The NATO PA president said that the strategy took into account the radically changed environment by redefining relations with Russia.

"We now clearly see Russia as an adversary and a threat. We need to mobilize our resources to confront this threat. The Strategy finally acknowledged the challenges and threats coming from China. We cannot limit ourselves to Europe and the issues that are important to it. We need to understand that we live in a bigger world where the involvement of other players has an impact on the Alliance and it needs to respond," said Connolly, adding that China continues to invest and expand its trade everywhere in the world, including Europe.

China's aggression affects the fundamental rule of law regarding the law of the sea, the protection of territorial waters and freedom of navigation on the high seas. The president of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly explained that China threatens all this directly, either by building artificial islands to extend its territorial claims or by challenging territorial rights.

"We have to take into account China's economically predatory behavior, its military aggression and we have to start planning what the possible threat will be. We also need to talk about the hybrid threat. We are very well aware of the hybrid threat coming from Russia, less so, but still also from China. These threats can be very powerful. I think we need to step up our efforts to counter and prevent them in advance," said Connolly.

In his view, the recent referendum in Moldova showed how effective Russia's hybrid-cyber social media can be in undermining democratic debate. Connolly believes that the people who went to the referendum had high expectations. He stressed that the majority of Moldovans are pro-Western and support the country's move towards membership of NATO and the European Union (EU).

"The referendum ended with a relatively small majority, and the impact was felt in the first round of the Moldovan presidential elections. How could this happen?! There is only one answer. It is malicious Russian activity, which is actively and aggressively aimed at disrupting the referendum," said Connolly.