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CHANCELLOR FRIEDRICH MERZ has said that Germany, along with Ukraine’s other key Western backers, have lifted range restrictions on weapons they send to Kyiv to fight against Russia.
In response, the Kremlin said that such a move would be “dangerous” and “at odds” of reaching a peace agreement.
Merz, who took office early this month, also vowed that “we will do everything in our power to continue supporting Ukraine, including militarily”, in close coordination with other supporters.
“There are no longer any range restrictions on weapons delivered to Ukraine – neither by the British nor by the French nor by us nor by the Americans,” he said in a wide-ranging TV interview.
“This means that Ukraine can now defend itself, for example, by attacking military positions in Russia… With very few exceptions, it didn’t do that until recently. It can now do that.”
Merz did not specify at which stage which country, including his own, had decided on any changes, sparking some confusion.
Speaking to Russian journalist Alexander Yunashev, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: “If these decisions have indeed been made, they are completely at odds with our aspirations for a political (peace) settlement… These are quite dangerous decisions, if they have been made.”
Recently-elected German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said in an interview published Monday that Germany along with Ukraine’s other key Western backers had lifted range restrictions on weapons they send to Kyiv to fight against Russia.
The previous German government of centre-left chancellor Olaf Scholz strongly backed Kyiv, but shied away from sending it long-range Taurus missiles, worried that this might escalate tensions with the nuclear power.
Moscow previously warned that it would treat potential Ukrainian strikes on transport infrastructure using Taurus missiles as “direct participation” in the conflict by Berlin.
Russia has long criticised Western countries for supplying long-range weapons to Ukraine, arguing Kyiv uses them to strike targets deep inside Russian territory.
In November last year, former US president Joe Biden decided to authorise Ukraine to use long-range Army Tactical Missile System, or ATACMS, against targets inside Russia.
That same month, Ukraine fired UK-supplied Storm Shadow missiles into Russia for the first time, after being given the green light from London, British media reported at the time.
France, which has supplied Scalp missiles to Ukraine, reiterated at the time that strikes on military targets inside Russia were an option.
Merz’s new government has stressed it would no longer detail what arms it is sending to Ukraine, preferring a stance of strategic ambiguity.
The recently appointed chancellor however took the opportunity to slam Russian President Vladimir Putin’s reluctance to engage in talks to end the sighting in Ukraine.
The Kremlin chief has responded to diplomatic efforts to bring the conflict to a close by prosecuting the war “harder than before”, Merz told WDR.
“Putin obviously sees offers of talks as a sign of weakness,” Merz said.
Since US President Donald Trump returned to the White House this year, he has sought to push the two sides in the conflict toward direct talks at the highest level.
Trump last week suggested the Vatican as a possible host for a meeting, with the Italian government saying the leader of the Catholic Church was ready to organise talks.
But Moscow has cast doubt on the potential for the Holy See as a host. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said it would be “inelegant” for the Catholic Church to mediate discussions between two principally Orthodox Christian countries.
Merz said that Ukraine’s Western backers had sought to use all the diplomatic options available to them to initiate talks.
“After the last three weeks, no one can seriously accuse us of not having exhausted all available diplomatic means,” Merz said. Short of “raising the white flag”, Ukraine’s supporters had “done everything” they could.
“If even an offer to meet at the Vatican does not get (Putin’s) approval, then we must be prepared for this war to last longer than we all wish or can imagine.”
Meanwhile, Trump made his growing impatience with Putin clear after the Russia pounded Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities with drones and missiles for a third-straight night.
At least 13 people were killed and dozens injured in the attack, which Ukrainian officials said was the largest aerial assault since Russia’s invasion over three years ago.
“I’ve always had a very good relationship with Vladimir Putin of Russia, but something has happened to him. He has gone absolutely CRAZY!” Trump wrote in a social media post last night.
Trump said Putin is “needlessly killing a lot of people”, pointing out that “missiles and drones are being shot into Cities in Ukraine, for no reason whatsoever”.
Want to know more about what’s happening in Ukraine and why? Check out our new FactCheck Knowledge Bank for essential reads and guides to finding good information online.
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