Macron gives Ukraine green light to attack Russian-based military sites

France’s Emmanuel Macron said on Tuesday Kyiv should be able to attack specific Russian-based military sites used to launch missiles onto Ukrainian territory, or else “we are sending weapons to Ukraine but tell them they can’t use it”, while Germany and Italy maintain their opposition on the matter.

Macron spoke at a press conference alongside Germany’s Olaf Scholz just minutes before the start of a Franco-German Council of Ministers in Meseberg, marking the close of the official State visit.

Macron reiterated that France’s doctrine towards Ukraine remained unchanged: “We support Ukraine to resist and defend its borders, and we do not want any escalation”.

But Russia’s military tactics have adapted, Macron added, such that missiles are now being launched onto Ukraine from military bases in Russia.

“How can we explain to Ukrainians that they must protect their cities, [notably] Kharkiv, if we, at the same time, tell them they cannot target bases Russian missiles are being launched from?”

Macron gave the green light on Tuesday for Ukraine to “neutralise […] identified targets” from which missiles are being launched, “but we must not allow them to reach other targets, including civilian infrastructure or other military targets”.

This echoes NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg’s comments to The Economist last week that some EU restrictions should be lifted and Ukraine be free to strike deep into Russia.

“Especially now, when a lot of the fighting is going on in Kharkiv, close to the border, to deny Ukraine the possibility of using these weapons against legitimate military targets on Russian territory makes it very hard for them to defend themselves,” Stoltenberg said.

Scholz backs status quo

EU leaders have so far refrained from letting Ukraine strike into Russian territory – a situation Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky deemed “unfair” earlier on Tuesday, asking the bloc “please give us the permission to do that”.

The matter also raises pressing questions for Germany, which has supplied Ukraine with long-range artillery pieces that would make it possible to target Russia-based artillery. The Mars II rocket launcher can hit targets more than 80 kilometres away.

The press conference highlighted the stark differences between the approaches of the EU’s largest member states to supporting Ukraine.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz appeared to reaffirm his hesitation to change current arrangements with Ukraine regarding the use of Western weapons behind enemy lines.

“[The United States, Germany, France] have all developed regulations that state that [the use of Western weapons] must always be within the framework of international law. This has worked well in practice so far and will certainly continue to do so,” Scholz said.

Thus, he echoed his own comments from Sunday, when he emphasised that the current “clear rules” for the use of German weapons “work.”

The question of joint European air defence further underlined that both countries’ approaches to national security differ widely, and Macron all but ruled out France’s joining of the German-led European Sky Shield Initiative (ESSI) for the joint procurement of air defence equipment.

“We are in solidarity, yes, but we are not exactly the same,” Macron stressed when asked about bilateral and interpersonal disagreements. “It works because we have these capacities because we have these abilities to overcome all crises and obstacles. Even if we don’t start from the same point of view.”

The two leaders are due to further discuss security matters with relevant ministers after the press conference at a meeting of the Franco-German Security and Defence Council.

Rome expresses opposition

Meanwhile, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani (Forza Italia/EPP) reiterated on Tuesday that Italy will not send troops to fight and will not authorise the use of Italian military equipment outside Ukraine’s borders.

His statements were in response to EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell, who on Tuesday urged countries to balance the fear of escalation with Ukraine’s need to defend itself, asserting that Kyiv had the right to use Western arms to strike on Russian territory.

Tajani clarified that Italy advocates for de-escalation both in the Middle East and Ukraine, but the government maintains a “clear position” on military equipment.

“This is in the agreements we made with Ukraine, and we are vigilant about the use of military material,” he noted.

Transport Minister Matteo Salvini (Lega/ID) was even more direct in his response, calling Borrell a “bomb-thrower” and describing his comments as “delusional”.

“He wants the weapons we sent to Ukraine for self-defence to be used for attacking, bombing, and killing in Russia. He does not speak for me, nor does he speak for the Italian people,” Salvini said.

On Sunday, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni also spoke out against Ukraine using Western-supplied weapons for attacks on Russian territory.

“I agree that NATO must remain firm and show no signs of weakness. There have been many questionable statements, including from (the French President Emmanuel) Macron. I advise greater caution,” she said.

(Nick Alipour | Euractiv.de, Theo Bourgery-Gonse | Euractiv.fr, Alessia Peretti | Euractiv.it)

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