France joins UK in giving Ukraine okay to fire into Russia; Belgium sends F-16s

(Originally published May 29 in “What in the World“) Ukraine is getting more help in taking its fight against Russia’s invasion across the border.

Belgium said it would later this year become the first ally to send F-16s to Ukraine, part of a €977 million ($1.1 billion) military aid package announced Tuesday by Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo. U.S. President Joe Biden publicly approved sending American-made F-16s to Ukraine about a year ago (after deciding to do so as early as late-2022), and several nations have since been training Ukrainian pilots to fly them. Belgium’s gift included the provision that the F-16s not venture into Russian airspace.

But France has joined Britain in allowing Ukraine to use missiles it supplies to fire on targets inside Russia. French President Emmanuel Macron said during a media conference Tuesday with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz that they could do so provided the targets were firing on Ukraine. U.K. Foreign Secretary David Cameron announced 10 Downing St.’s new permission for Ukraine to use British missiles against targets inside Russia earlier this month while visiting Kyiv.

The NATO Parliamentary Assembly issued a declaration Monday urging members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization to allow Ukraine to fire weapons it provides into Russia. While the assembly comprises elected delegates from NATO members, it has no official relationship with NATO, but its call echoes similar ones from NATO’s Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, as well as officials in Latvia, Lithuania, Sweden, and Poland.