Legal Framework of Arms Supply to Ukraine

Year 2025, Volume: 22 Issue: 1, 49 - 67, 24.01.2025

Ayşe Füsun Arsava

Abstract

The right of self-defense, which constitutes an exception to the prohibition on the use of force stipulated in Article 2, Paragraph 4 of the UN Charter, can be used individually by the attacked state, as well as collectively. In this context, it is argued that the arms supply to Ukraine in the Russia-Ukraine war was made by some states with the aim of supporting Ukraine's individual legal right to defense. However, depending on the circumstances, the arms supply may also be interpreted as the exercise of the right to collective self-defense, and in this case, the arms-supplying states may be considered as war parties.
In the article, the legal consequences of the arms supply to Ukraine are presented and evaluated in the light of the legal right to self-defense, as well as the classical law of neutrality and the status of not being a party to the war, which arises in connection with aiding the attacked state, and humanitarian law.

Keywords

Collective legal defense, neutrality law, non-belligerency, international responsibility, indirect attack.

Ukrayna’ya Silah Tedarikinin Hukuki Çerçevesi

Abstract

Birleşmiş Milletler (BM) Şartı’nın 2.madde, 4.fıkrasında öngörülen kuvvet kullanma yasağının istisnasını teşkil eden yasal savunma hakkının saldırıya uğrayan devlet tarafından münferiden kullanılması mümkün olduğu gibi, kolektif olarak kullanılması da mümkündür. Rusya-Ukrayna savaşında Ukrayna’ya yapılan silah tedarikinin bu bağlamda kimi devletler tarafından Ukrayna’nın münferit yasal savunma hakkını destekleme amacı ile yapıldığını ileri sürmektedir. Ancak yapılan silah tedarikinin koşullara göre kolektif yasal savunma hakkının kullanılması şeklinde de yorumlanması ve bu durumda silah tedariki yapan devletlerin savaş tarafı olarak kabul edilme olasılığı bulunmaktadır.
Makalede Ukrayna’ya yapılan silah tedarikinin yasal savunma hakkı yanı sıra klâsik tarafsızlık hukuku ve saldırıya uğrayan devlete yardımla bağlantılı olarak ortaya çıkan “non-belligerency” statüsü ve insancıl hukuk ışığında hukuki sonuçları ortaya konulmakta ve değerlendirilmektedir.

Keywords

Kolektif yasal savunma, tarafsızlık hukuku, non-belligerency, uluslararası sorumluluk, dolaylı saldırı.

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