Germany to help Kyiv build long-range missiles to hit Russia
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German Chancellor Friedrich Merz waiting for the arrival of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the Chancellery in Berlin, Germany, on May 28.
PHOTO: EPA-EFE
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BERLIN – Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced that Germany will work with Ukraine to produce long-range weapons, intensifying cooperation with the war-battered nation as European allies pile pressure on Russia to engage in talks to end the war.
The German leader, who this week said there were “absolutely no range limits” on Ukrainian forces making deep strikes into Russian territory, spoke after meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Berlin.
He called the Kremlin’s assault on Kyiv in the past week a “slap in the face” to diplomatic efforts to engage Moscow.
“The massive air strikes on the city of Kyiv in particular over the weekend do not speak the language of peace, but rather the language of a war of aggression,” Mr Merz said on May 28 alongside Mr Zelensky, who made his first trip to the German capital since the new Chancellor took office in May.
The Ukrainian leader on May 27 called on western allies to provide US$30 billion (S$38.7 billion) by the end of the year to boost domestic weapons production and hold off Russia’s advance.
With US support waning and diplomatic efforts stalling, Kyiv has increasingly focused on relying on its own resources.
Neither leader provided details on the weapons cooperation – and Mr Merz balked at questions about German deliveries of Taurus cruise missiles, which Berlin has refused to send. But he said the work will aim to allow Ukraine to adequately defend itself against Russia.
Mr Zelensky said German and Ukrainian teams will lock in an agreement on financing new projects.
“These projects already exist, we simply want them to be in the possible quantity that we so much require,” he said.
Obstruction
Responding within an hour of Mr Merz’s remarks, the Russian government said the German leader’s comments amounted to a provocation.
“It is nothing other than continued attempts to force Ukrainians to keep fighting,” the Tass state news service reported Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying.
“And it is nothing other than an obstruction of efforts to move towards a peaceful resolution.”
Mr Merz repeated his demand on Mr Putin to engage in talks over a ceasefire “in the Vatican, Geneva or a third location”. European leaders have sought to increase pressure, as US President Donald Trump this week warned that Mr Putin is “playing with fire”.
Since taking office three weeks ago, Mr Merz has signalled a shift from the more cautious approach of his predecessor Olaf Scholz, taking a stronger line on support for Ukraine’s fight to repel the Russian invasion. The German leader also reinforced his position that the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline will remain inactive.
“On behalf of the Federal Republic of Germany, I say, in this context, we will do everything we can to ensure that Nord Stream 2 does not come back online,” he said.
Mr Scholz had long ruled out dispatching Taurus missiles, with a range of up to 500km, enabling them to hit targets in Moscow. Although Mr Merz was silent on the issue, he has expressed approval of its use.
His coalition government has agreed not to disclose information on weapons deliveries.
Germany is the second-biggest supporter of Ukraine after the US and sustaining future supplies of weapons and ammunition will be critical, since Mr Trump’s support has remained unclear.
The date of the next round of direct talks with Ukraine will be announced soon, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told an international security conference in Moscow on May 28.
Ukraine’s neutral status remains a key Russian demand for a peace settlement, he added in televised comments. BLOOMBERG
