European Commission spokesperson Peter Stano said on Aug. 7 that “Ukraine has the legal right to defend itself, including striking an aggressor on its territory,” in comments to Suspilne in reference to the ongoing battles in Russia’s Kursk Oblast.
“The EU continues to fully support Ukraine’s legitimate right to defense against Russian aggression and its efforts to restore sovereignty and territorial integrity,” Stano said.
Ukrainian forces crossed the border into Kursk Oblast on Aug. 6, resulting in clashes on Russian soil that were described by Russian President Vladimir Putin as “a large-scale provocation.” Kyiv has not commented on the fighting in the area.
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In response to the ongoing situation, U.S. National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said that Washington hasn’t changed its policy of allowing Ukraine to use American-supplied weapons “to target imminent threats just across the border.”
When Russia launched its intensified offensive against Kharkiv Oblast in May, a number of countries said they had lifted restrictions on the use of Western-provided weapons against military targets inside Russia.
For MAD to work, you only need a significant enough number of warheads to be a credible threat. It takes an extremely mad dictator to gamble on the potential anihilation of multiple major cities in his country.
I suspect the major factor on Russia’s end is not actual military strength though. It’s the fact that there are idiots all over the Western world lapping up Russian propaganda and weakening their own home countries.