NATO chief Stoltenberg backs Ukraine's right to self-defense following Moscow drone attack
Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg gave a cautious assessment of the recent drone attacks in Russia and Moscow during a brief conversation with journalists prior to the NATO Foreign Ministers meeting in Oslo on June 1.
He emphasized Ukraine's right to self-defense but refrained from confirming Kyiv's involvement in the attacks.
"Now we have exactly the same position as at the beginning of the war, namely that Ukraine has the right to defend itself," Stoltenberg said.
The war unleashed by Russian President Vladimir Putin is a clear violation of international law, and Ukraine's right to defend itself is enshrined in the UN Charter, he said.
Moscow was attacked by drones early on May 30. The Russian Defense Ministry acknowledged the presence of eight UAVs in its airpsace, while social media reported that there were more than 10.
Following an earlier drone attack in Moscow on May 3, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin’s press service claimed that Ukraine had tried to strike at the Kremlin. Putin was working at his residence in Novo-Ogaryovo near Moscow at the time, said his spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, accusing Ukraine of "attempting" to assassinate Putin.
The dictator himself blamed Ukraine for the attack and said that it was allegedly "an attempt to provoke a response from Russia." He failed to mention that Russia had unleashed a full-scale war and massive attacks against Ukraine, and lied that the Russian military does not strike civilian targets.
Commenting on the May 30 drone strike, Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to the head of the President’s Office, said that the drones "want to return to their creators" but denied that Ukraine was involved in the attacks on the Russian capital.
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