Merz: range restrictions lifted
According to German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Ukraine can now also use long-range weapons to defend itself against attacks from Russia. This has sparked discussion.
Berlin/Turku (dpa/d.de) - Against the backdrop of fruitless peace efforts and continuing Russian attacks on Ukrainian cities, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has stressed the need for ongoing military support for Ukraine. He says that the country can now take a different approach to defending itself. “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,” Merz said at the re:publica digital conference in Berlin.
When the Russian war of aggression began, the West had refrained from supplying Ukraine with long-range weapons in a bid to avoid any escalation. In the meantime, the United Kingdom and France have provided longer-range cruise missiles to Ukraine.
In Germany, a discussion is underway whether to supply Taurus cruise missiles with a range of 500 km. Moscow had warned that this would make Germany a direct party in the conflict. There was no explicit mention of this type of weapon in the conversation with Merz, however. Merz’s remarks were criticised by his coalition partner SPD, among others.
The threat posed by Russia was also one of the top topics discussed at the Nordic summit meeting attended by Merz yesterday in Finland. He will be meeting with Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson and Finnish head of government Petteri Orpo in Turku today.