Brussels – According to Friedrich Merz, Kyiv’s Western allies have lifted all previously imposed restrictions on Ukraine’s use of long-range weapons manufactured by them. However, for the time being, no chancellery has confirmed yesterday’s announcement by the Bundeskanzler. Meanwhile, a political case erupted in Berlin after the number two in the CDU-SPD coalition government, the Social Democrat leader Lars Klingbeil, denied that the German executive had changed its position on sending Taurus missiles to Ukraine.
Friedrich Merz surprised everyone yesterday (May 26) when he made it clear at an event in the capital that Germany and its allies were no longer imposing restrictions on the Ukrainian army’s use of their weapons on Russian territory. “There are no longer any restrictions on the range of weapons delivered to Ukraine, neither by the British, nor by the French, nor by us, nor by the Americans,” he said, speaking on behalf not only of Berlin but also of London, Paris, and Washington.
“This means that Ukraine can now defend itself, for example, by attacking military positions in Russia,” he added, noting that “with very few exceptions, it had not done so until recently, but now it can.” The leader of the German Christian Democrats emphasized that where “Russia attacks civilian targets in a totally ruthless manner” while the attacked country “does not.”
We will do everything in our power to continue supporting Ukraine. This also means no more range restrictions on the weapons we supply. Ukraine can now also defend itself by attacking military positions in Russia.</p
– Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz (@bundeskanzler) May 26, 2025
Merz also revealed that this was one of the reasons for his visit to Kyiv on May 10, together with French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk. On that occasion, the “willing” leaders pledged not to publicly disclose the extent of arms deliveries to Ukraine in order to maintain a certain level of strategic ambiguity.
Yesterday’s announcement – which has so far remained without official confirmation from the other countries mentioned – seemed to overturn the line followed by the German executive and Kyiv’s western partners over the past three years, during which gradual concessions were made to Ukraine regarding the type of weapon systems it could use against the invader. The most politically sensitive issue has always been the possibility of hitting targets beyond the Federation border on Russian territory.
For a long time, long-range missiles were not even delivered to Kyiv. Subsequently, Western chancelleries started to send them but imposed strict restrictions: these weapons were to be used exclusively within the Ukrainian borders to hit Russian targets in occupied territories. Removing these restrictions will make “the decisive difference in the war,” Merz said, adding that “a country that can only oppose an aggressor on its own territory is not defending itself adequately.”
The Christian Democrat leader’s words have caused confusion in national politics. A few hours after the Bundeskanzler’s outburst, his deputy Lars Klingbeil (SPD president and finance minister) publicly denied it, claiming that the position of the government has not changed: “There is no agreement that goes beyond” what was decided by the previous executive, led by his party colleague Olaf Scholz.
Merz thus tried today (May 27) to throw water on the fire, specifying that he was referring to a decision made several months ago by Germany and its allies. Speaking alongside Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo during a joint press conference in Turku, Merz remarked, “The issue of limiting the range of deployed weapons (in Ukraine, Ed.) played a role a few months and a few years ago.” He reiterated that “the countries that imposed range limitations have long since abandoned these requirements.“
Therefore, yesterday’s announcement is not news but rather “something that has been happening for months, namely that Ukraine has the right to use the weapons it receives even outside its borders, against military targets on Russian territory.” Last November, then-US President Joe Biden granted Kyiv the possibility of using ATACMS (300 km range) to hit military targets in Russia near the border, and the same month, London gave the green light to use Storm shadows with the same restrictions.
From Berlin’s perspective, the crux of the matter is the supply of Taurus cruise missiles to Kyiv. Scholz always refused to send these powerful long-range weapons (with a range of over 500 kilometers) to Ukraine, fearing that Moscow might consider it an escalation of the conflict and direct German participation in the war.
Merz always opposed this position and in his election campaign pledged to send the Taurus to the Ukrainian resistance. If he digs in his heels with his social democratic partners, his newly formed government could face its first serious internal crisis. However, after today’s clarifications, this risk seems to be receding.
English version by the Translation Service of Withub
