Germany helps Ukraine with missile production

Berlin (dpa) - Germany agrees joint production of long-range missiles with Ukraine, which is under attack from Russia. This was announced by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz following a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Berlin yesterday. He said that the defence ministers of the two countries would sign a memorandum of understanding to this effect. “We want to make long-range weapons possible. We also want to make joint production possible,” said Merz.

Merz explained that there would be cooperation also at the industrial level, which could take place both in Ukraine and in Germany. Further details would not be disclosed for the time being, he added. Merz said: “But you can assume that the Russian side’s refusal to conduct talks, its refusal to observe a ceasefire, will now have real consequences.”

In the more than three-year war, Ukraine has so far lacked weapons with sufficient range and power to attack Russian military targets and supply routes far behind the front line. Though the UK and France have supplied their Storm Shadow/Scalp cruise missiles, and the USA later provided type ATACMS ballistic missiles, the numbers were small and there were restrictions on their use, which were later relaxed. Meanwhile, Ukraine has had no choice but to expand its own missile capacities.