Defense does not stop at borders, you are allowed to attack the enemy on his territory

The chairman of NATO’s Military Committee said whether to allow Ukraine to strike deep into Russia with Western-made long-range missiles was a “political debate” but, from a military point of view, it would be within Ukraine’s legal right.

Dutch Navy Admiral Rob Bauer told Radio Free Europe (RSE) in an interview on September 14 that the lifting of restrictions is not an issue NATO is discussing, but that in his opinion as a military leader the answer would be yes.

“Under the UN charter and under the law of armed conflict, if you are attacked by a state, then you are allowed to defend yourself,” Bauer said. “That defense doesn’t stop at your borders. You’re allowed to actually attack the enemy on his own territory.”

Bauer was interviewed as the NATO Military Committee — the Alliance’s top military body — met in Prague for a two-day conference to review strategic developments within the Alliance, in light of decisions made at the NATO summit in July.

The meeting came a day after British Prime Minister Keir Starmer met with US President Joseph Biden at the White House to discuss whether to approve Kiev’s request to use long-range missiles against targets in Russia.

Bauer said the threats issued by Russian President Vladimir Putin and former President Dmitry Medvedev in response to those discussions show their frustration with how the war is unfolding two and a half years after Russia started it.

“I think it’s primarily evidence of how frustrated they are because Russia hasn’t achieved any of their strategic goals in Ukraine,” Bauer said.

Putin said earlier this week that the West would be “at war” with Russia if it allowed Ukraine to strike with Western-made long-range missiles, while Medvedev said on September 14 that Russia could destroy Ukraine’s capital Kiev with non-nuclear weapons if the West lifted its restrictions .

Medvedev, who now serves as deputy chairman of the country’s Security Council, also said Moscow could resort to nuclear weapons.

Bauer said that the threats must be taken seriously, but that what NATO and Ukraine’s other allies are doing is “within the framework of the UN charter, within the framework of international law.” “And we will continue to do so.”

In his speech at the conference, Bauer praised the Ukrainian military for proving to the world that there is “nothing they cannot do” and that they only need the support of their allies to achieve their goals.

“And they will have it — not just now, not just for the duration of the war, but for decades to come,” Bauer said in remarks at the conference.

NATO allies led by the United States have donated tens of billions of dollars in military equipment to help Ukraine fight the war, and Bauer said Ukrainian forces are becoming “more and more interoperable” with NATO forces by the day, bringing the country closer to NATO membership. .

“One day we will stand shoulder to shoulder under the NATO flag,” he said. “Ukraine deserves our continued support, not only because of who they are as a people, but also because of who we are as NATO.”

Bauer also said NATO needs a much larger defense industry production capacity and needs to be better coordinated to increase deterrence.

“The more we strengthen our deterrence, the better chance we have to protect the freedoms we care about and prevent war from ever entering our soil,” he said.

Higher defense spending

Army Lieutenant General Karel Rehka, Chief of the General Staff of the Czech Armed Forces, also commented on the war in Ukraine, saying that it is a question of the survival of Ukraine and the struggle for the principles of democracy, sovereignty and territorial integrity, for the defense of which NATO exists.

“It is imperative that we — at the top of our military — provide all necessary assistance to Ukraine, whether in the form of training or supplying weapons and other military equipment,” Rehka said in an address at a September 14 conference.

“By supporting Ukraine, we are also strengthening our unity and curbing the Russian threat,” he emphasized.

Both Bauer and Rehka agreed on the need for more defense spending, with Rehka saying “it’s clear that two percent of GDP for defense is not going to be enough.”

Rehka also warned that threats from Russia come not only on the conventional battlefield, but also in the form of hybrid tactics, cyber attacks, disinformation campaigns and kinetic acts of violence.

“All these actions are designed to sow fear and undermine the unity of our societies. Therefore, we must have a broad approach… that integrates our conventional military capabilities with strong cyber defense and strong civil-military cooperation,” the Czech general stated.

News