The move has reignited debate around Germany’s Taurus missile system — long-range precision weapons capable of striking targets up to 500 kilometres away.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Monday announced the removal of range restrictions on weapons being sent to Ukraine, marking a significant shift in Berlin’s military posture amid escalating Russian aggression.
The decision follows Russia’s largest drone assault of the war so far, which saw 355 Iranian-made Shahed drones and nine cruise missiles targeting Ukrainian territory.
Speaking to reporters, Merz declared that “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.” The statement implies a coordinated Western consensus, giving Ukraine potential capacity to strike well beyond its own borders, heightening fears of further escalation.
The move has reignited debate around Germany’s Taurus missile system — long-range precision weapons capable of striking targets up to 500 kilometres away.
Former Chancellor Olaf Scholz had previously refused to supply Taurus missiles, citing the risk of deepening the conflict. Merz, while more open to the idea, maintained that specifics on German military aid will not be disclosed, warning that “Putin is a fluent German speaker,” and that intelligence should not be gleaned from local television.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov condemned the announcement, stating that such decisions would undermine “Moscow’s aspirations to reach a political settlement”. Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov went further, claiming the decision had already been made long ago and kept a secret, implying that Merz’s announcement was a “scripted” performance rather than a situational reaction.
However, Merz’s declaration has been refuted by his own deputy. Lars Klingbeil, the Vice Chancellor, dismissed the announcement, stating that “no new agreement” had been made.
Klingbeil is a member of the Social Democratic Party, a centre-left party, which is a junior alliance partner in the current government and leader of the previous one. His statement, reminiscent of the hesitations of the Scholz tenure, has highlighted internal fractures within the cabinet.
The contradictions within the German top brass have once again raised eyebrows over policy coherence and the future trajectory of Western military support.
