For self-defense purposes
British Foreign Secretary: Ukraine may attack Russian territory
05/30/2023 8:52 p.m
According to the Kremlin, Kiev was behind last night’s drone strikes on Moscow. British Foreign Minister Cleverly does not want to comment specifically on the incident, but makes it clear that if Ukraine should defend its country beyond the borders, that would be its right.
According to British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly, Ukraine has the right to attack targets on Russian territory for the purpose of self-defense. The conservative politician said this at a press conference with his Estonian counterpart Margus Tsahkna in the Estonian capital of Tallinn.
However, Cleverly declined to comment on the drones that fell on Moscow. “I have no details and I will not speculate on the nature of the drone strikes on Moscow,” he said. In principle, however, it is part of Ukraine’s right to self-defense to strike beyond its own territory in order to reduce Russia’s ability to strike Ukrainian territory. “Legitimate military targets beyond its own borders are part of Ukraine’s right to self-defense,” Cleverly said.
The United States, on the other hand, spoke out against attacks on Russian territory. “Basically, we do not support attacks inside Russia,” said a spokesman for US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday during his visit to Sweden. “We are focused on providing Ukraine with the equipment and training it needs to reclaim its own sovereign territory.”
Moscow: Five drones shot down
At the same time, however, the spokesman emphasized that Russia carried out airstrikes against the Ukrainian capital Kiev on Tuesday for the 17th time in May. Russia has started the war against Ukraine and can “end it at any time by withdrawing its troops from Ukraine instead of launching brutal attacks against Ukrainian cities and people every day”.
According to Russian information, eight combat drones fell on the approach to Moscow on Tuesday night. Three of them were brought down by electronic means, five were shot down. According to Russian information, several houses were slightly damaged by the drones and two people were slightly injured. Where the drones came from remained unclear. The Kremlin blamed Kiev for the attacks. The Ukrainian government rejected this.
