Britain is allowing Ukraine to hit targets in Russia with Storm Shadow missiles supplied by the UK, says the Nato chief.
Jens Stoltenberg made the remark as America and Germany joined Britain in letting Kyiv use their weapons to strike inside Russia, even if some restrictions remain on such use.
At the opening of an informal meeting of Nato foreign ministers in Prague, he said: “Allies have for many years, or since this war started back in 2022, accepted that their weapons are used also for strikes against legitimate targets inside [Russia].
“For instance, United Kingdom has provided Storm Shadow cruise missiles for a long time without any restrictions.
“So this has been the case for a long time. It has always been the case for a long time that every time NATO Allies are providing support to Ukraine, President Putin is trying to threaten us not to do that.”
British Defence Secretary Grant Shapps has previously emphasised that UK weapons supplied to Kyiv could be used throughout Ukraine and in Crimea, annexed in a widely-viewed illegal move in 2014 by Russia.
But he declined to say whether this consent also covered striking targets inside Russia.
He told the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg earlier this month: “We do not get into how we would allow targeting of our weapons to be used outside of that (the whole of Ukraine), but we do provide our weapons to Ukraine in order for them to defend their country.”
Britain has led the way in arming Ukraine to defend against Putin’s invasion which he launched in February 2022.
America, Germany and other allies gave the go-ahead for their weapons to be used against the latest attack by Putin’s forces on Ukraine’s second biggest city, Kharkiv.
Ukraine may use weapons delivered by western countries including Germany to defend itself against Russian attacks in the border region surrounding Kharkiv in accordance with international law, a German government spokesperson said on Friday.
Russian military chiefs are building up forces within their country to step up the attack on Kharkiv, just 20 miles from the border, as well as launching air strikes on the city.
The change in stance was announced a day after US President Joe Biden gave Ukraine the go-ahead to use American munitions to strike inside Russia for the limited purpose of defending Kharkiv.
At the Prague meeting, numerous ministers, including those from the Netherlands, Finland, Poland and Germany, expressed approval of the decision, saying that Ukraine has the absolute right to defend itself from attacks originating on Russian soil.
"This is a matter of upholding international law - Ukraine's right to self-defence," NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said.
"Russia has attacked Ukraine, (which) has the right to defend themselves. And that includes also attacking military legitimate targets inside Russia."
He added: "If you look at the battlefield now, Russia is launching attacks on Ukraine's soil from Russian soil with artillery, missiles, and massing troops.
“And, of course, it makes it very hard for Ukraine to defend themselves if they are not allowed to use advanced weapons to repel those attacks."
Ukrainian officials had stepped up calls on the US administration to allow their forces to defend themselves against attacks originating from Russian territory.
President Volodymyr Zelensky has stressed that the restriction was putting Ukrainian forces in an untenable situation as Russia intensified attacks around Kharkiv.
Mr Biden approved Ukraine using US weapons to strike targets inside Russia that were attacking the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, after Kyiv sought authorisation from Washington in recent weeks, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken confirmed on Friday.
Speaking at a news conference in Prague after the Nato meeting, Mr Blinken said US support would continue to be “adapted and adjusted”.
He did not specifically say whether Mr Biden's authorisation could expand to include other Russian cities and targets that are deeper inside Russia.
He said Washington's move, a marked change in policy by Mr Biden, who had steadfastly refused to allow Ukraine to use American weaponry for strikes inside Russia, was a result of US strategy of adjusting and adapting to the battleground.
Now, he said, the US is responding to what it has seen in and around the Kharkiv region.
"Over the past few weeks, Ukraine came to us and asked for the authorization to use weapons that we're providing to defend against this aggression, including against Russian forces that are massing on the Russian side of the border and then attacking into Ukraine," Mr Blinken said.
"And that went right to the President, and as you've heard, he's approved use of our weapons for that purpose. Going forward, we'll continue to do what we've been doing, which is as necessary adapt and adjust," he added.
It is the second time this year that Mr Biden has quietly relaxed his policy on weapons supplies for Ukraine. Earlier this year, he bent to calls to send long-range missiles known as ATACMS to Kyiv.
However, US officials said on Thursday that American policy would continue to prohibit the Ukrainian military from using ATACMS, which have a range of up to 186 miles, and other long-range US-supplied weapons for deep strikes inside Russia
Russia has been exploiting a lengthy delay in replenishment of US military aid and Western Europe's inadequate military production that has slowed crucial deliveries to the battlefield for Ukraine.
Moscow seized on Nato Secretary General Mr Stoltenberg's comments on British arms supplied to Ukraine.
Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova claimed his remarks showed they have been used against targets on Russian soil all along.
