Zelensky departs Germany with pledge for help with long-range weapons, but no Taurus missiles
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will leave Berlin with a new €5 billion ($5.7bn) arms package as he seeks to build his country's arsenal, and its ability to produce weapons at home.
The standout agreement in the package announced in the German capital on Wednesday centers around Germany financing the joint production of long-range missiles inside Ukraine that would enable Kyiv to strike targets deep into Russia.
Also included in the announcement were more air defense systems, weapons, ammunition, 'command and operational' capabilities and medical assistance.
One significant aspect was missing. There had been big expectations prior to the news conference that Merz would announce the transfer or approval of Ukraine's use of Germany's highly sophisticated long-range Taurus missiles.
The Taurus system would allow Ukraine to strike targets far beyond the capabilities of British Storm Shadow and American-made ATACAM missiles.
But standing shoulder to shoulder with Zelensky in Berlin, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said: 'We will be expanding this support so that Ukraine, now and in the future, can continue to defend itself against Russian aggression.'
Merz added that 'this is the beginning of a new phase of industrial military cooperation between our countries that has a great deal of potential.'
However, in keeping with a new edict from the chancellor and his new government, tangible details of that deal were not forthcoming. It has made a conscious decision to withhold information around weapons exchanges to ensure 'strategic ambiguity.'
The deal nevertheless signifies a major step in deepening the co-operation between Germany and Ukraine, particularly in terms of arms procurement.
It also marked the third meeting in as many weeks between the two leaders – especially significant given that Merz has only been chancellor for three weeks.
A later statement released from the German defense ministry said it plans 'to invest more directly in Ukrainian production in the future.'
Zelensky appeared to hint at today's agreements before leaving Kyiv for Germany's capital. In his nightly address on Tuesday he said, 'attack drones, interceptors, cruise missiles, Ukrainian ballistic systems – these are the key elements. We must manufacture all of them.'
The German defense ministry statement suggested that some of these systems may be close to deployment. 'A significant number of long-range weapons (are) to be produced within this year,' it read. 'The first of these systems could be deployed by Ukrainian armed forces in just a few weeks.'
The Kremlin was quick to respond. 'This is an entirely irresponsible position of Germany. Instead of trying to support a peaceful process, they are putting fuel on the flame,' Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told CNN on Wednesday.
'They are simply trying to provoke further war, thus increasing their indirect involvement in this military affair,' he added.
While Merz has only been in office for a matter of weeks, there appears to be significant disagreement from within his coalition on this issue.
One member of Merz's party, the Christian Democrats (CDU), tweeted on Tuesday: 'I still see no unity within the coalition and no political will to respond appropriately, with force and consistency to Russia's massive escalation.'
Germany has long been one of Ukraine's most generous supporters in terms of committed aid. In both military and humanitarian assistance, according to figures from the Kiel Institute, Germany ranks second only behind the United States.
In Berlin, both Zelensky and Merz spoke about their frustration with Russia regarding peace negotiations, in particular a promise about a memorandum from Moscow following a call between Putin and US President Donald Trump on May 19, which doesn't appear to have yet materialized.
Merz said: 'I would like to thank the American president in recent weeks. Moscow on the other hand is playing for time. The memorandum still has not been shared.' Germany's leader added that that recent attacks across Ukraine 'speak the language of aggression.'
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