PRAGUE. May 30 (Interfax) - It is time for NATO allies to think about possibly lifting restrictions on using weapons they supply to Kiev to strike Russia, as there has been some shift in the events in the battle zone lately, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said.
"I believe the time has come to consider some of these restrictions," Stoltenberg said while speaking at the Czech Republic's Senate.
He pointed out, however, that the matter was not within his purview, as all such decisions had to be made at the national level.
Lifting said restrictions has become relevant, as the fighting has recently taken place in parts of Ukraine bordering Russia, and "the character of the war has changed," he said.
Stoltenberg said last week that he thought it would make sense to think about lifting restrictions on use of NATO weapons to strike military targets inside Russia, which drew both positive and negative comments from some NATO member states.
The issue chiefly concerns the United States, as it provides particularly large amounts of weapons to Ukraine. American officials have said in the past few days that, on the one hand, Washington has not lifted such restrictions, and on the other, it leaves it to Kiev's discretion to decide how to fight.