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Russia rebuked Germany on Monday after Chancellor Friedrich Merz suggested Ukraine could now employ longer-range weapons in its defence against Moscow.
These were “quite dangerous decisions, if they have been made,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
He was referring to an earlier statement by Merz, who said there were “no longer any range restrictions on weapons supplied to Ukraine, neither by the British, nor by the French, nor by us, nor by the Americans”.
It was unclear whether Merz’s comments represent a change, or if he was referring to the use of certain Western missiles against Russian territory since late last year.




The United States has given Ukraine ATACMS missiles, which have a range up to 300km, while the United Kingdom and France have supplied Shadow Storm/Scalp cruise missiles. Berlin has been weighing whether to provide Taurus cruise missiles which have a range of 500km.
At present, Germany provides Kyiv with the Mars II rocket launcher, which has a range of about 85km, and the Panzerhaubitze 2000 self-propelled howitzer, with a range of about 35km.
These were the only German weapons the Ukrainian army can use to hit targets behind the front line.
Moscow has warned Berlin against supplying longer-range weapons to Kyiv, saying this would make Germany a direct party to the war.
Merz did not explicitly mention Taurus missiles, but said Ukraine could now defend itself by attacking military positions in Russia. Until recently, it had not been able to do so, he said. “Now it can,” he added, without providing further details.
Peskov responded that supplying long-range weapons to Ukraine was “contrary to Moscow’s efforts to find a political solution”.

Later, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul rebuffed the Kremlin’s criticism.
“There have now been several calls and opportunities for the Russian president to come to the negotiating table, and he has rejected them,” Wadephul said at a meeting with his Portuguese counterpart Paulo Rangel in Lisbon.
“We have always been clear that this behaviour will not remain without consequences,” Wadephul added.
The German government has “always made it clear that we will support Ukraine in its defensive struggle against the Russian aggressor,” Wadephul said.
Germany would decide on further sanctions within the European framework, he said, adding that he would also discuss the issue with his US counterpart Marco Rubio during a coming visit to the United States.
Asked whether Berlin was ready to supply Kyiv with long-range Taurus cruise missiles, long demanded by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Wadephul said he would not “make any statements about individual weapons systems”.

The German government would not give Russian President Vladimir Putin “the opportunity to know what we are doing specifically,” he added.
Merz’s statement appeared to counter the policy set by previous chancellor Olaf Scholz, who allowed the use of German weapons such as the Mars II multiple rocket launcher against positions on Russian territory in the region around the embattled Ukrainian city of Kharkiv.
But he opposed lifting the restrictions on their use beyond that.
German Vice-Chancellor Lars Klingbeil, a Social Democrat like Scholz, said Berlin had not changed its course. “As far as range is concerned, I would like to say that there is no new agreement that goes beyond what the previous government has done,” he said when asked at a press conference in Berlin.
The spat comes as Zelensky was expected to visit Berlin on Wednesday to meet Merz, according to German media reports.
Der Spiegel magazine said Merz wants to discuss possible steps towards further “technical” peace talks between Ukraine and Russia.
During a visit to Kyiv earlier this month, Merz, along with French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, had threatened further sanctions on Russia if Moscow did not agree to a 30-day ceasefire.
The pressure led Putin to propose direct talks with Ukraine in Istanbul for the first time in three years, but the negotiations did not produce any results apart from a prisoner exchange.


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Germany’s chancellor said there were no more range restrictions on weapons supplied to Kyiv


Germany’s chancellor said there were no more range restrictions on weapons supplied to Kyiv.


Russia warns Germany over signal on long-range weapons for Ukraine

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Germany’s chancellor said there were no more range restrictions on weapons supplied to Kyiv

Germany’s chancellor said there were no more range restrictions on weapons supplied to Kyiv