Danish PM urged to abandon red lines in conflict with Russian Federation
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen called to abandon red lines in the conflict with Russia. She made such a statement in an interview with Bloomberg on September 23.
"I have the following proposal: let's close the issue of red lines. <...> There are constant discussions about whether we can do this (allow Kiev to carry out strikes on Russian territory. - Ed.)? It would be glorious to end the delays," she stated.
According to her, Ukrainian allies should stop hesitating and lift restrictions that prohibit Kiev from attacking Russian territories. Frederiksen emphasized that allowing Ukraine to launch strikes deep into Russian Federation would not lead to an escalation that would draw Ukrainian allies into the conflict.
In addition, the Danish prime minister said that the consent of both countries involved in the conflict was necessary to achieve peace.
She also specified that she was skeptical that the talks would lead to "a victory for Russian President Vladimir Putin."
On Friday, September 20, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov reminded that Moscow has dangerous weapons at its disposal for Kiev's hosts. According to him, the Russian side is talking about red lines with the expectation that its assessments "will be heard by intelligent, decision-makers."
Before that, on September 19, State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin said that the European Parliament's call for lifting restrictions on Western weapons strikes on Russian territory was leading to a world war. He concluded that the European Parliament should dissolve itself after such statements.
On September 16, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that the North Atlantic alliance would not become part of the conflict if NATO countries allowed Ukraine to strike Russian territory with their weapons. Reacting to this statement, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova characterized the outgoing NATO secretary-general's statement with the expression "dementia and bravery".
Prior to that, on September 12, Russian President Vladimir Putin said about the consequences of possibly allowing Kiev to launch strikes against Russia. The head of state noted that this would speak about the direct participation of Western countries in the Ukrainian conflict and would fundamentally change its essence.
Western countries have stepped up military and financial support for Ukraine against the backdrop of the Russian special operation to protect Donbass, which began on February 24, 2022. The decision to conduct it was taken by the Russian president because of the aggravation of the situation in the region due to the increased shelling by Ukrainian troops.