Ukraine has achieved 'a lot' in Kursk offensive, NATO's Stoltenberg says

By Gwladys Fouche

OSLO (Reuters) - Ukraine has achieved "a lot" in its Kursk offensive into Russia but it's hard to say how the situation will develop next, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters in Oslo on Thursday.

"Only the Ukrainians can make the difficult choices that are needed, such as where to deploy their forces and what type of warfare is appropriate in this situation," Stoltenberg said.

Russian forces are advancing in the east of Ukraine while Ukrainian troops have made a bold incursion into Russia's Kursk region, where it on Aug. 6 launched the biggest foreign attack on Russia since World War Two.

Stoltenberg said Ukraine has the right to self-defence, including with long-range missiles that can reach military targets on Russian territory.

"I am glad that many NATO countries have given that opportunity, and those that still have restrictions have softened the restrictions so that Ukraine can defend itself," Stoltenberg said.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy will on Friday attend a meeting of the Ramstein group, a coalition of nations supplying arms to Ukraine, where he is expected to ask for increased weapons deliveries, specifically long-range missiles, according to German magazine Spiegel.

Zelenskiy has called on allies to assist with air defences and remove restrictions preventing Kyiv from using donated weapons for long-range strikes into Russia.

Stoltenberg earlier told a conference he does not see any immediate military threat against NATO countries but said there was a constant danger of terrorism, cyber attacks and sabotage.

(Reporting by Gwladys Fouche, writing by Stine Jacobsen, editing by Terje Solsvik, Editing by William Maclean)