German Chancellor, Friedrich Merz has said that range limits have been lifted off Western-supplied arms to Ukraine.
Speaking in an interview, he added that his government would strategically no longer detail what arms it is sending to Ukraine.
He also vowed that Germany will do everything in its 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.
“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.”
Friedrich Merz
Ukraine has previously received long-range missiles from the US, the UK, and France — including ATACMS, Storm Shadow, and SCALP — but was initially permitted to deploy them only against Russian military forces in occupied Ukrainian territories.
Only in late 2024, the U.S. Biden administration and other allies eased the restrictions, allowing Ukraine to use long-range missiles against Russian military targets in border regions.
U.S. President Donald Trump has criticized ex-President Joe Biden’s decision to ease the restrictions as he seeks to negotiate a peace agreement between Kyiv and Moscow.
The previous German government of center-left Chancellor, Olaf Scholz strongly backed Kyiv but shied away from sending it long-range Taurus missiles, worried that this might escalate tensions with Russia, a nuclear power.
Merz has in the past said he favors delivery of Taurus, which could strike targets deep inside Russia.
His government has since stressed it would no longer detail what arms it is sending to Ukraine, preferring a stance of strategic ambiguity.
Speaking in the interview, Merz did not say whether Germany would now send Taurus missiles to Kyiv.
Additionally, the German Chancellor stressed that while Ukraine is using its arms to target Russian military infrastructure, Russia continues to attack Ukrainian “cities, kindergartens, hospitals, and care homes.”
Merz Says Russia Not Ready For Negotiations
Moreover, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz asserted that Russian President, Vladimir Putin interprets Western calls for negotiations as “a sign of weakness” and appears set to press on with his offensive in Ukraine.
Merz said that Moscow’s resistance to meeting at the Vatican for peace talks – an idea floated by Italy and the US – is evidence that it is not prepared for swift negotiations. “If even an offer to meet at the Vatican does not get [Russia’s] approval, then we must be prepared for this war to last longer than we all wish or can imagine,” he stated.
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.
However, Moscow has cast doubt on the potential for the Holy See as a host.
Russian Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov said that it would be “inelegant” for the Catholic Church to mediate discussions between two principally Orthodox Christian countries.
Also, 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. He added that short of “raising the white flag,” Ukraine’s supporters had “done everything” they could.
Meanwhile, the Kremlin reacted to the West’s lifting of range limits on Ukrainian weapons. 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.”
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