Ukraine war briefing: Macron, Scholz agree Kyiv should use allies’ weapons against launchers in Russia | Ukraine

Ukraine should be allowed to use the weapons of its allies to “neutralized” Russian military bases used to launch missiles into Ukraine, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Tuesday. But he added: “We shouldn’t let them touch each other other targets in Russiaand obviously civil capacity.’

Macron made the comments during a state visit to Germany, whose Chancellor Olaf Scholz, appears to support Ukraine on the issue as well – saying that he agreed with the French president as long as the Ukrainians comply with the terms of the arms suppliers. However, the chancellor has refused to supply Germany with Taurus cruise missiles – wanted by the Ukrainians and capable of delivering powerful strikes against Russian positions in Ukraine and deep inside Russia.

The NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, told the Economist that alliance members should allow Ukraine to strike deep into Russia with Western weapons. But on Tuesday, the White House ruled out such a possibility for US-supplied weapons. “There is no change in our policy at this stage. We do not encourage or permit the use of US-supplied weapons to strike Russia” said John Kirby, a spokesman for the National Security Council.

Vladimir Putin warned of “serious consequences” if Russia is hit with Western weapons – repeating a pattern of routine but vague and unfulfilled threats to Ukraine’s allies. The Kremlin also gloats about continued differences in the West – “we see that there is no consensus on this issue,” regime spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russian daily Izvestia.

The first one delivery of 155 mm artillery shells under a Czech-led initiative should arrive in Ukraine within days, Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala said on Tuesday as he hosted Ukrainian Prime Minister Denis Shmyhal and leaders of some EU allies in Prague. The initiative has so far raised 1.6 billion euros, Fiala said.

EU officials said approx €6.5 billion for Ukraine remains stalled by Viktor Orbán’s Hungarian government, considered Russia’s staunchest ally in the union. “The sad thing is that we have the money, we have the capacity, but we are still waiting for decisions to implement” the aid decisions for Ukraine, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said. However, individual member states have broad veto powers these powers may be terminated where he is a member it is believed to work against the principles and interests of the EU.

On Tuesday, Belgium pledged €1 billion in aid to Ukraine and commitment to give Ukraine 30 F-16 fighters over the next four years.

Russian guided bombs killed two civilians in the eastern Ukrainian city of Toretsk on Tuesday and caused heavy damage to two high-rise apartment buildings, Donetsk regional governor Vadim Filashkin said.

The White House said the US and its partners are ready to use more sanctions and export controls to prevent trade between China and Russia which endangers their security, Patrick Wintour writes. Daleep Singh, national security adviser, said they could also act further to increase Russia’s spending on using a shadow fleet to avoid the G7 oil price cap.

Singh said that Russia is completely dependent on China, giving Beijing “enormous leverage” over Moscow, and China also faced risks and costs, given that combined trade in goods with the EU and the US is seven times higher than trade with Russia. Singh said trade between Russia and China has fallen since Joe Biden expanded targeting of financial institutions, and authorities may go further.

Singh said next month’s G7 leaders’ summit was the best chance to strengthen Ukraine by planning monetized about $300 billion in frozen Russian assets, a move he says is risky but necessary. G7 leaders are due to meet in Italy on June 13-15.