German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said that the country's decision to allow Ukraine to use German-supplied weapons against targets in Russia is a "strategic adaptation to changing conditions."
"This decision is the right one. It is what we have always done since the beginning of the war that [Russian President Vladimir] Putin is waging against Ukraine. We have adapted to the situation and adjusted our strategy accordingly," Pistorius said on Friday during a visit to the Moldovan capital Chisinau.
The decisions by Germany and its allies to allow Ukraine to hit targets within Russia have very clear parameters and is permitted under international law, Pistorius said.
They related "in particular to the defensive campaign around Kharkiv, because the proximity to the border is particularly obvious there," he said.
Weapons systems supplied by Germany and other Western countries could play a role in defensive operations by the Ukrainians to defend the city, he said.
Pistorius visited the southern Ukrainian city of Odessa on Thursday, and he said that the German government announcement addresses what Ukrainian Defence Minister Rustem Umerov told him about the necessities in the region.
