Pål Jonson, The head of the Swedish Ministry of Defense highlighted that Ukraine is repelling an unprovoked invasion from Russia. “According to international law, Ukraine has the right to defend itself through combat actions directed at the enemy’s territory, as long as it is in accordance with the laws of war,” emphasized Pål Jonson. He added that “Sweden stands behind international law and Ukraine’s right to defense.”

The laws of war, also known as the law of armed conflicts or humanitarian law, are a set of international agreements that include provisions from the Geneva Conventions as well as customary law.

A commentator for the newspaper ‘Hallandsposten’ demands that Sweden publicly, and not just behind closed doors, convince other Western countries to agree to Ukraine’s use of weapons provided by them on Russian territory. The publicist notes that such a debate is already taking place in the U.S. administration. “It is increasingly clear that Ukraine’s problems on the battlefield result from these restrictions,” he emphasized.

The author notes that Russia utilizes the area near its land border with Ukraine as a buffer zone to amass its forces, leading to destruction north of Kharkiv. “The Russians are not safeguarded there, but Ukraine counterattacks with its missiles and drones. However, these do not possess the range, precision, or power comparable to Western weapons,” he highlighted.

The publicist believes that Russian warnings against countries whose weapons will be directed at Russian territory should not be taken seriously. He refers to earlier threats that were made before countries decided to donate any kind of armaments to Ukraine.

So far, Sweden has provided Ukraine with, among others, 50 CV90 infantry fighting vehicles, 10 Leopard 2 tanks, eight Archer self-propelled howitzers, and 10 Stridsbåt 90 boats.