On October 12, 2024, Germany will host another Rammstein meeting. US President Joe Biden and coalition representatives plan to discuss further measures to help Ukraine. One of the key issues is granting Ukraine permission to use long-range weapons of its partners against military targets in Russia. This decision is becoming increasingly important, given the need to strengthen Ukraine’s defense capabilities, as well as to reduce the aggressor’s ability to continue the war. The permission to use long-range weapons is not only a practical measure to change the balance of power on the front, but also a demonstration of the Western allies’ desire to follow the international law and justice.
Ukraine has already shown its readiness to use long-range weapons, successfully hitting strategically important targets (large military warehouses, oil depots and command posts), which disrupted logistics and undermined troop command and control, reducing the effectiveness of enemy operations. Ukraine’s strategic understanding confirms its readiness to have at its disposal long-range precision weapons provided by Western partners and use it against the territory of the Russian Federation.
Permission to use long-range weapons against legitimate military targets on the territory of Russia is the key to lasting peace and restoration of justice, which can be secured only on the basis of the Ukrainian Peace Formula. This initiative is based on the principles of the UN Charter: respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of states, the non-use of force and search for long-term solutions through diplomacy. The Peace Formula provides a comprehensive military, legal and humanitarian approach aimed at restoring peace and ensuring security in Europe.
“The Ukrainian peace initiative is an initiative that ensures that we have a process that can lead to a lasting peace,” NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg emphasizes. NATO and its allies’ support is the only way to a just settlement of the conflict, while the alternative Chinese-Brazilian initiative ignores the real interests of Ukraine and is unable to ensure sustainable peace.
The Friends of Peace initiative launched by China and Brazil is illusory that promotes the interests of the aggressor at the expense of the victim. It contains six main points that concern a ceasefire, deescalation of the conflict, no escalation of fighting, and holding a peace conference with the participation of all parties. However, it is not about the need to restore Ukraine’s territorial integrity, it does not condemn Russian aggression.
In addition, the initiative aims to maintain the status quo with no accountability for aggression or the return of occupied territories, which makes it suitable for Russia. The boycott of the peace summit in Switzerland in June this year, which was organized to support Ukraine, only highlights the goal of the China-Brazil initiative – to protect the interests of the aggressor and prolong the conflict. Therefore, NATO and its allies should reject such proposals and support the Ukrainian Peace Formula based on the principles of the UN Charter, which guarantees the restoration of Ukraine’s sovereignty and ensures real security and a sustainable peaceful settlement of the conflict.
The upcoming Rammstein session will be a milestone in determining the further strategy of Western partners. To grant permission for Ukraine to use long-range weapons is to support the principles of international law, to prevent the aggression and to seek peace. The current hesitation of the partners is favorable only for Russia, allowing it to continue the war and manipulate the international community.
Peace in Ukraine and Europe is possible only with the support of the Ukrainian Peace Formula, which guarantees the restoration of justice and compliance with international norms. Permission to strike with long-range weapons is a necessary measure to achieve these goals, strengthen Ukraine’s defense capabilities and demonstrate the readiness of the international community to protect sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine and other world states.