Under international law, Ukraine has the right to defend itself against unleashed aggression. This includes the shelling of military targets on Russian territory.
This statement was made by the European Commission's spokesperson for foreign policy Peter Stano, according to Yevropeyska Pravda.
Stano spoke about the European Union's attitude to NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg's call to lift the ban on Ukraine's use of Western weapons against Russia. The spokesman said that the bloc would not comment on Stoltenberg's statement, but that the EU had a similar discussion at the level of foreign and defence ministers.
‘The key position of the European Union is that Ukraine is engaged in a legitimate defence against an invasion... Therefore, under international law, Ukraine has the right to defend itself against aggression, and under international law, this also includes the destruction of the aggressor on its territory when it comes to military objectives,’ Stano said.
According to the spokesperson, Ukraine should obtain such permits from each state separately, as it is individual EU member states that supply Kyiv with weapons for ‘legitimate self-defence’.