The Bundeswehr’s Maj. Gen. Christian Freuding, head of the unit coordinating arms support for Ukraine within the German Federal Ministry of Defense said the Ukrainian military will receive the first batch of locally produced long-range missiles funded by Germany by the end of this month.
Speaking to the ZDF TV channel during a visit to Kyiv on Friday, Freuding said the missiles are being produced under an agreement signed following a meeting between German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky in Berlin at the end of May.
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Merz said during the press conference following the bilateral meeting on May 28: “Our defense ministers will sign a letter of intent today on procuring long-range weapon systems produced in Ukraine – so-called long-range fires,” before adding, “There will be no restrictions on [the missiles’] range.”
Funding for the program will come from a €5 billion ($5.9 billion) German military aid package announced at the time. The fund will also fund new contracts for air defense systems, munitions, and logistical support, including maintenance infrastructure and Starlink satellite communications, according to Politico.
The long-range missiles will be produced by Ukrainian military industry producers against contracts awarded by the Ukrainian Defense Ministry, approved and funded by Germany.
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Freuding said there had been a formal signing of the agreement on Friday before adding that after the first deliveries, “we will be talking about a large three-digit number” of Ukrainian-produced missiles, which will “significantly enhance the country’s defensive capabilities in the coming weeks and months.” He said that Kyiv needed “… weapons systems that can penetrate deep into Russian territory and attack warehouses, command posts, airfields, and aircraft.
The type(s) of missiles that will be produced have not been specified although according to Bild at the end of May the range of at least some of these weapons will be more than 2,000 kilometers (1,250 miles plus) – bringing military and industrial facilities deep inside Russia including around Moscow, St. Petersburg, and beyond.
Rumors that Germany would also provide long-range Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine have grown since Merz announced at the beginning of May that it would no longer publicly declare its weapons deliveries to Ukraine. Freuding’s comments will do nothing to dispel the speculation.
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