Germany supports Ukraine's right to conduct attacks on Russian territory
Adapted from The Trenchant Observer, December 7: 2022
Dispatches
1) “Ukraine darf sich laut Bundesregierung auch auf russischem Gebiet verteidigen; Nach Ansicht der Bundesregierung darf Kiew bei seinem Kampf gegen Russland auch das Staatsgebiet des Aggressors angreifen. Regierungssprecher Steffen Hebestreit verweist auf die UN-Charta. Die Nato erwartet eine neue russische Offensive im Frühjahr,” Die Welt, den 7. Dezember 2022.
Der Bundessprecher war Steffen Hebestreit. Er ist Chef des Presse- und Informationsamtes der Bundesregierung und Regierungssprecher.
Federal Government Spokesman Steffen Hebestreit is Head of the Press and Information Office of the German Federal Government.
2) Hugues Maillot, “Guerre en Ukraine : les États-Unis auraient bridé les Himars pour empêcher Kiev de frapper la Russie,” Le Figaro, le 7 Septembre 2922 (à 16:46, mis à jour à 16:52);
3)”Ukraine War, December 3, 2022: Thinking about World War Three; Western references to negotiations reveal they are thinking of scenarios of less than complete military victory,” The Trenchant Observer, December 3, 2022.
4)”Ukraine War, December 4, 2022: Appeasers make their move: Macron takes it upon himself to represent EU and NATO views, plans to offer reassurances to Russia; Biden fails to maintain alliance discipline; Russia ascendant, as Macron as other alliance leaders freelance with Putin while undercutting Ukraine,” The Trenchant Observer. December 4, 2022;
5) “Ukraine War, December 5, 2022: The face of appeasement--U.S. modified HIMARS artillery launchers so they couldn't hit targets in Russia; How dare they? Ukraine attacks targets in Russia,” The Trenchant Observer , December 5: 2022;
6) “Ukraine War, December 6, 2022: Hungary blocks €1.7 billion in aid for Ukraine; U.S. response to Ukrainian strikes within Russia,” The Trenchant Observer, December 6, 2022;
7(“We have entered a new era,” Trenchant Observations, December 4, 2022.
UPDATE
8)”Uwe Parpart and David P. Goldman, “Military sources: Ukraine missiles used US guidance; Both NATO and Russian observers reject Blinken denial of US satellite involvement in attacks on Russian bases,” Asia Times, December 8, 2022.
Analysis
A German foreign ministry spokesman said today that Germany supports Ukraine’s right to strike targets in Russia in exercise of its right of individual self-dense under Article 51 of the U.N. Charter.
Die Welt reported the following:
English (revised Google translation)
According to the federal government, Ukraine’s right to defend itself is not limited to its own territory. Government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit pointed out in Berlin that the country had been under attack from Russia for more than nine months.
"Ukraine has a guaranteed right to self-defense stemming from Article 51 of the UN Charter," he said, adding, "Ukraine is not obliged to confine defense efforts to its own territory." He did not want to otherwise comment on news reports regarding explosions at Russian air baes.
German (Original text)
Die Ukraine hat nach Ansicht der Bundesregierung das Recht, sich nicht nur auf eigenen Staatsgebiet zu verteidigen. Regierungssprecher Steffen Hebestreit verwies in Berlin darauf, dass das Land seit mehr als neun Monaten von Russland angegriffen werde.
„Die Ukraine hat ein verbrieftes Recht auf Selbstverteidigung, das sich aus Artikel 51 der UN-Charta ergibt“, sagte er und fügte hinzu: „Die Ukraine ist nicht verpflichtet, die Verteidigungsanstrengungen auf das eigene Staatsgebiet zu beschränken.“ Die Meldungen über Explosionen auf russischen Luftwaffenstützpunkten wollte er ansonsten aber nicht bewerten.
This is a highly significant change in policy. It is one we have been utging for months. It pits Germany squarely against the policy of Joe Biden, which today led Secretary of State Antony Blinken to grovel before Vladimir Putin, assuring the world that the U.S. neither enabled nor encouraged Ukraine to launch its drone attacks deep inside the territory of Russia in the last three days.
This is about as shameful as it gets. It suggests that Biden and Putin have some kind of secret understanding according to which the U.S. will not encourage or enable Ukraine to carry out attacks within Russian territory.
Such an understanding could have been reached in the secret back-channel discussions National Security Asciser Jake Sullivan has been conducting with Putin’s aides.
Blinken’s statement seems to lay bare the whole sordid business of how Biden’s fear of Putin and Putin’s nuclear threats has led Biden to withhold weapons from Ukraine—or, by exacting promises from Zelensky or modifying weapons so they can’t attack targets in Russia, otherwise to ensure they won’r be used to cross Putin’s “red line” prohibiting attacks within Russian territory.
If Germany holds to this new line and does not yield to U.S. pressures to return to the old acceptance of Biden’s position, a dramatic change in the weapons supplied to Ukraine and their authorized use could take place. Such a change in policy within NATO could change the course of the war, to the great advantage of Ukraine.
In effect, Biden has forced the Ukrainians to be fighting Putin wih one hand tied behind their bscks, leaving Putin free to fire missiles and drones at Ukrainian civilians and civilian infrastructure as if he were shooting fish in a barrel. This poicy change would allow Ukrainians to defend themselves with both hands..
If Germany holds to this new position and it is accepted by other NATO countries, and eventually even by the U.S., it could hasten the end of the war by allowing Ukraine to prevail on the battlefield.
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See also “Why I care about the war in Ukraine,” Trenchant Observations, June 26, 2022.