In an interview with The Economist, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg called on members of the Western military bloc to allow Ukraine to freely use its weapons to hit deeper into Russia.

“The time has come for allies to consider whether they should lift some of the restrictions they have put on the use of weapons they have donated to Ukraine,” Stoltenberg said, adding, “Especially now when a lot of the fighting is going on in Kharkov, close to the border, to deny Ukraine the possibility of using these weapons against legitimate military targets on Russian territory makes it very hard for them to defend themselves.”

When he was asked if he sees the US as the one major holdout on lifting restrictions, he said, “I think what we see now demonstrates the need to reconsider those restrictions, not least because we have fighting going on along the border between Russia and Ukraine.”

According to Russia, the rhetoric about restrictions on the use of US munitions is false, as they are meant to paint the image that the West is not involved in the war. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov shot down the rhetoric by saying that US weapons have already been used in attacks inside Russia, including strikes against civilian targets.

Read next: NATO pushing Moldova military to confront Russia: FSB

Stoltenberg relayed his belief that NATO can support Ukraine’s defense without becoming a direct party to the war.

“We provide training, we provide weapons, ammunition to Ukraine, but we will not be directly involved from NATO territory in combat operations over or in Ukraine... So, that’s a different thing.”

Blinken urging admin for Ukraine to use weapons as it sees fit

Earlier this month, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken reportedly urged the administration after an unexpected trip to Kiev to let Ukraine use American weapons as it sees fit. 

This all comes as Russia has begun the first stage of military drills for the preparation and use of non-strategic nuclear weapons, in its southern military district, the Russian Defense Ministry reported on Tuesday.

A statement issued by the ministry said "practical testing of the preparation and use of non-strategic nuclear weapons" was ordered by the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces of the Russian Federation, under the supervision of the General Staff.

The weapons would require special munition and equipment for launch vehicles, it was revealed. The Defense Ministry affirmed that the drills aimed at maintaining Russia's readiness to secure its sovereignty. 

Read more: US does not expect Ukraine will be invited to join NATO: Official