Kremlin says West lifting range limits on Ukraine arms would be ‘dangerous’
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Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov says giving Ukraine long-range missiles can jeopardise a peace settlement.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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MOSCOW – The Kremlin said on May 26 that any Western decision to lift range limits on arms delivered to Ukraine would be “dangerous”, after Germany announced that Kyiv’s allies were no longer imposing restrictions.
“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,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russian journalist Alexander Yunashev.
Recently elected German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said in an interview published on May 26 that Germany, along with Ukraine’s other key Western backers, had lifted range restrictions on weapons they send to Kyiv
“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,” he said.
The previous German government of centre-left chancellor Olaf Scholz strongly backed Kyiv, but shied away from sending it long-range Taurus missiles, worried that this might escalate tensions with the nuclear power.
Moscow had earlier warned that it would treat potential Ukrainian strikes on transport infrastructure using Taurus missiles as “direct participation” in the conflict by Berlin.
Russia has long criticised Western countries for supplying long-range weapons to Ukraine, arguing Kyiv uses them to strike targets deep inside Russian territory. AFP
