German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock on Tuesday defended Ukraine’s drone attacks inside Russia, and argued that Kyiv is acting within international law.
“Russia has attacked Ukraine, and therefore Ukraine has a right enshrined in the UN Charter to defend its country, to defend its people,” Baerbock said at a joint news conference with her Estonian counterpart Margus Tsahkna in Berlin.
Responding to a question on the recent drone attacks targeting Moscow, she said: “Russia has violated the prohibition of the use of force in the UN Charter. Russia is bombing civilian targets in Ukraine relentlessly, targeting grain silos, hospitals, and churches. Ukraine is defending itself within the framework of international law.”
Estonian Foreign Minister Tsahkna also voiced support for Ukraine’s counteroffensive, and stressed that Kyiv’s military operations are within the framework of international law.
“Russia is responsible for starting the aggression. Russia is responsible of starting genocide. Russia is responsible of everything what it’s doing in Ukraine,” he said.
“We must push Russia back to Russia. We must use every kind of opportunities for that,” he added.