Belgium is seeking explanations from Ukraine over reports that Belgian-made weapons were used by anti-Kremlin fighters in Russia, Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said Monday.
“We are asking the Ukrainians to clarify the situation for us,” De Croo told Belgian state radio.
“The rule is strict, it is clear; our weapons supplied to Ukraine are for defensive purposes, to (defend) Ukrainian territory.”
De Croo’s comments came in reaction to a report by US newspaper The Washington Post that Western arms were used in Russia’s Belgorod region.
Pro-Ukrainian groups of Russian fighters, anti-Kremlin ultra-nationalists, have launched high-profile cross-border incursions into Russia from Ukrainian territory.
The Washington Post cited US intelligence sources saying four armored vehicles supplied by the United States and Poland to Ukraine were used in an attack last month.
🇷🇺 GETTING HIT
⚡️ ⚡️ 🇺🇦 Rocket strike in the Belgorod region 🇷🇺.
Several 🇷🇺 trucks were destroyed. pic.twitter.com/MgEEtzRmiV
— Jason Jay Smart (@officejjsmart) June 5, 2023
The fighters also used rifles made in Belgium and the Czech Republic in the assault, the newspaper reported.
NATO member Belgium has been among the numerous Western nations that have sent weapons to Ukraine since Russia’s all-out invasion started in February 2022.
