Berlin denied any change to Kyiv’s long-range strike policy on Tuesday, a day after Chancellor Friedrich Merz declared there were no remaining restrictions on Ukraine hitting targets inside Russia.
Merz said a similar decision has been made by the UK, US, and France without specifying when the decision was made, and German Vice Chancellor Lars Klingbeil clarified on Tuesday that the decision was made long ago.
“Regarding the range, I would like to say that there is no new agreement that goes beyond what the previous government has done,” Klingbeil answered a reporter’s question at a press conference in Berlin, according to German outlet NTV.
Moscow on Monday slammed Merz’s statement and claimed the alleged decision, if true, is “completely at odds” with the Kremlin’s purported “aspirations for a political (peace) settlement.”
Former US President Joe Biden lifted the restrictions on US-provided ATACMS missiles in late 2024, allowing Kyiv to strike targets inside Russia along the border.
The decision made under the Biden administration was the last known change to Kyiv’s weapon use policy regarding Western arms.
However, two senior Western officials told Kyiv Post’s Washington correspondent that US President Donald Trump is “seriously considering” lifting all Biden-era restrictions on Ukraine’s warfighting after Moscow repeatedly ignored the West’s ceasefire proposals.
Merz won the snap elections on Feb. 23 and was sworn in as chancellor on May 6, succeeding Olaf Scholz, after failing to secure enough votes in the first round of Bundestag voting earlier that day and prevailing in the second.
Merz is seen as more hawkish on Ukraine than Scholz, with Merz advocating for the transfer of Germany’s Taurus long-range missiles to Ukraine before becoming chancellor.
At present, Germany has not publicly provided any long-range weapons to Ukraine, and Merz said last week that future arms agreements with Kyiv will not be publicized, according to New Voice Ukraine.