De Tijd | Ukrainian loss of territory makes West reconsider weapons and troops taboos

The Ukrainian armed forces are in a dire situation on the war front. In recent times, we have not only seen our ammunition stocks melt away, we have also lost our best people. We are really running out of time to turn the tide.’ Ukrainian Ambassador Oleksandr Scherba issued this cry for help this week at an event organised by the Friends of Europe think tank in Brussels.

During the event on Ukraine, the Dutch Minister of Defense, Kajsa Ollongren, acknowledged that the American and European restrictions do not facilitate the Ukrainian fight. “Those restrictions force the Ukrainians to fight with one hand tied behind their backs,” she said. “We are in favor of abolishing it. Because Ukraine is fighting an aggressor, it has the right to defend itself. As far as we are concerned, the elimination of Russian military targets on the other side of the border is part of that right to self-defence.