German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Wednesday said Berlin will help Kyiv develop long-range weaponry to strike targets inside Russia.
Merz made the announcement at a joint press conference during Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s surprise visit to Berlin.
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“Our defense ministers will sign a memorandum of understanding today regarding the procurement of Ukrainian-made long-range weapons systems,” the German leader said without naming the manufacturers involved, according to AFP.
“Both defense ministers are working closely together in this area. We want to enable long-range weapons. We also want to enable joint production, and we will discuss some of these things privately,” Merz added.
The chancellor said production will take place “both in Ukraine and here in Germany,” but there would be no further details at present.
It remains unclear whether the long-range weapons would take the form of domestically produced drones, which Ukraine has already used, or advanced missiles that Zelensky has pledged to develop.
He said the new, unspecified weapons could be used to hit targets inside Russia, echoing his Monday statement that Kyiv is cleared to hit Russia with Western weapons.
“There will be no range restrictions, allowing Ukraine to fully defend itself, even against military targets outside its own territory,” he said.
The chancellor’s Monday statement drew criticism from the Kremlin, but his aide later backtracked by saying that the decision was not made under Merz, but that it had been approved long ago.
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The joint development of long-range weapons might be an alternative to Germany’s Taurus missiles, whose potential delivery to Ukraine has been a contested topic, domestically and among Kyiv’s allies.
The current chancellor’s predecessor, Olaf Scholz, had vocally opposed sending Taurus missiles to Ukraine, citing fears of escalation with Moscow.
Before becoming chancellor, Merz voiced openness to sending the missiles but has been quiet on the topic since taking office.
Merz later also said future arms agreements with Kyiv will not be publicized – that would include the potential transfer of Taurus missiles.
As such, the plan to help Kyiv produce long-range weapons could be Merz’s answer to skirt the Taurus dilemma while supporting Ukraine – especially after Moscow continuously brushed off the West’s ceasefire proposal.
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