The Czech government has reacted favourably to NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg's call for Ukraine to be allowed to use Western weapons to strike inside Russian territory.
"As a country under attack, Ukraine certainly has every right to use all means of defence," Prime Minister Petr Fiala said in Prague on Tuesday, describing the position as "simply logical."
Attacks on military targets in Russia by Ukraine are covered by international law as part of its defence, experts on the laws of war generally agree.
But some Western countries that support Ukraine, like Germany, are reluctant. These capitals fear that allowing Kiev to use the advanced weapons supplied by them to attack Russian territory will be interpreted by Moscow as their becoming a direct party to the war.
Further military support for Ukraine is the topic of a working dinner in Prague on Tuesday evening, to which Fiala had invited representatives of several NATO partner states as well as Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal.
Polish President Andrzej Duda, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte were among those expected to attend.
Fiala said Ukraine was facing a perilous moment as Russian forces launch attacks across the Ukrainian border north of Kharkiv, potentially looking to open a new front in the war.
Fiala said the talks in Prague will focus on removing any remaining obstacles to Western arms deliveries and coordinating them better.
The Czech Republic is leading an initiative to procure 800,000 artillery shells for Ukraine from countries outside the European Union.
