Germany's Merz offers to help Ukraine develop its own long-range missiles to hit Russia
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul was set to meet in Washington with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio later Wednesday.
Germany doesn't mention its Taurus cruise missiles
Merz declined to say whether Germany will supply its advanced Taurus long-range cruise missile to Ukraine — long a request by Kyiv and a step that Berlin has resisted.
Asked about Germany's offer to fund long-range missile production in Ukraine, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov responded that the move was an obstacle to reaching a peace agreement.
Both Merz and Zelenskyy criticized the Kremlin's effective rejection of an unconditional ceasefire proposed by the U.S., which Kyiv accepted, and its delay in responding to proposals for a settlement.
Merz said last Monday that Germany and other major allies were no longer imposing range limits on weapons they send to Ukraine, though he indicated their use was limited to Russian military targets.
Then U.S. President Joe Biden late last year authorized Ukraine to use U.S.-supplied missiles for limited strikes into Russia. The decision allowed Ukraine to use the Army Tactical Missile System, known as ATACMS, against Russia.
In Berlin, Zelenskyy called for deeper defense cooperation across Europe and with the United States, stressing the need for long-range capabilities and sustained military funding to ensure Ukraine's resilience.
'We need sufficient long-range capabilities. That's why we must be certain of the financing of our army and the stability of Ukraine,' he said.
He said the cooperation projects already exist. 'We simply want (the missiles) to be produced in the quantity we need,' Zelenskyy told the news conference.
Zelenskyy said Tuesday that Ukraine is ready to hold peace talks at the highest level, including a trilateral meeting with himself, Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump.
'We are ready to meet at the level of leaders. Both the American side knows this, and the Russian side knows this,' he said. Zelenskyy said he would accept any configuration of talks, whether that includes one trilateral meeting or separate meetings with Trump.
Peskov, the Kremlin spokesman, said that Russia is grateful to Trump for his mediation efforts.
'At the same time, there is a big number of nuances to be discussed that can't be neglected and which neither party is going to sacrifice, because of its national interests,' Peskov told reporters. 'Just like the United States, Russia has its national interests that are of primary importance to us.'
He said that Moscow will 'soon' deliver its promised memorandum on a framework for a peace settlement.
Front-line fighting, deep strikes continue
Meanwhile, fighting has continued along the roughly 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) front line, where Ukraine's army is shorthanded against its bigger adversary. Zelenskyy claimed Tuesday that Russia is mobilizing up to 45,000 men every month, while Ukraine mobilizes between 25,000-27,000.
Both sides are continuing to conduct deep strikes. Russia launched its biggest drone attack of the war against Ukraine on Sunday.
Russian air defenses downed 296 Ukrainian drones over 13 Russian regions late Tuesday and early Wednesday, Russia's Defense Ministry said, in what appeared to be one of the biggest Ukrainian drone assaults of the war.
Ukraine is increasing its domestic production of drones and missiles, according to Zelenskyy. He said late Tuesday that Ukraine wants European countries to help it invest in the manufacturing of attack drones, air defense interceptors, cruise missiles and ballistic systems.
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said that air defenses shot down Ukrainian 33 drones heading toward the capital.
Andrei Vorobyov, the governor of the Moscow region, said that 42 drones were downed. He said that drone fragments damaged three residential buildings in the village of Troitskoye, but no one was hurt.
Russia's federal aviation agency, Rosaviatsiya, said Wednesday that more than 60 flights had been canceled across Moscow as the capital's airports were forced to ground planes amid drone warnings.
Overnight, Russian forces launched an attack on Ukraine using five Iskander ballistic missiles, one guided air-launched missile and 88 drones, Ukraine's Air Force said Wednesday. Air defense units shot down 34 drones, and 37 drones were jammed.
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News18
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