Germany's Merz Greenlights Ukraine To Strike Russia
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has now authorized the use of German missiles for strikes against Russian territory, in a move that signals a dramatic escalation against Moscow.He also signaled that this will not only apply to German weapons, but also other weapons systems from countries like France and the United States.Posting to X, Merz wrote: 'We will do everything in our power to continue supporting Ukraine. This also means no longer having any range restrictions on the weapons we supply. Ukraine can now also defend itself by attacking military positions in Russia.'
Wir werden alles tun, was in unseren Kräften steht, um die Ukraine weiter zu unterstützen. Das bedeutet auch keinerlei Reichweitenbeschränkungen mehr für Waffen, die wir liefern. Die Ukraine kann sich jetzt auch verteidigen, indem sie militärische Stellungen in Russland angreift. — Bundeskanzler Friedrich Merz (@bundeskanzler) May 26, 2025
Previously, Kyiv was permitted to use these weapons only against Russian forces in occupied Ukrainian territories.
Speaking at the 'WDR Europaforum 2025' at the re:publica digital conference in Berlin, Merz stated, 'There are no longer any range restrictions for weapons that have been delivered to Ukraine, neither by the British, nor by the French, nor by us, nor by the Americans.'
Two years ago, Remix News ran a video from Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, outlining how the conflict started with countries sending helmets and then tanks to illustrate how deeply the West was involving itself in the war.
The conflict appears to only be escalating more and more since Orbán issued his warning.
As the war has progressed, nations like Great Britain and France supplied advanced weapons systems, including Storm Shadow and Scalp cruise missiles. Germany has been debating the delivery of its Taurus cruise missiles, which have a 500-kilometer range, a move Moscow has warned would make Germany a direct party to the conflict.
Merz did not explicitly mention Taurus missiles in his statement, but his predecessor, Olaf Scholz, refused to provide Ukraine with such weapons, fearing a sharp escalation of the war.
This policy change comes against a backdrop of continued Russian attacks on Ukrainian cities and stalled peace efforts. While Merz emphasized that Ukraine does not target civilian areas — and should maintain that distinction — he stressed that a country unable to retaliate within the aggressor's territory cannot adequately defend itself.
Notably, polling on the topic of Taurus missiles has consistently shown that a majority of Germans reject sending the missile to Ukraine.
However, it appears that Western countries are already actively targeting Russian forces. Reports from November indicated that Ukraine had already used long-range ATACMS missiles from the U.S. and British Storm Shadow cruise missiles against military targets in Russia.
Merz also cautioned that the West must prepare for a prolonged war, even as diplomatic channels remain open. He suggested that Russian President Vladimir Putin views Western offers of dialogue as a sign of weakness, asserting that 'Nobody can now seriously blame us for not having exhausted all the diplomatic means that exist.'
At the same time, President Donald Trump has reportedly become increasingly disillusioned with Putin following Russia's recent attacks on Ukraine. Trump recently launched an unusually sharp criticism of Putin on his Truth Social platform, describing the Kremlin chief as 'absolutely crazy.'
Read more here…
Also read: 1 In 4 People In Germany Now Has Migrant Background, Data Shows
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Gulf Insider
2 days ago
- Gulf Insider
Kremlin: No 'Negotiations With Terrorists' - We'll Retaliate At 'A Time Of Our Choosing'
Russia says that President Putin is preparing to retaliate at 'a time of our choosing' for all the latest drone and 'terror attacks' – including the targeting of trains and bridges with explosives. 'Russia will respond to Ukraine's latest attacks as and when its military sees fit,' the Kremlin said Thursday. Spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed what President Trump revealed of the Putin phone call Wednesday – that the Russian leader made clear that Moscow is obliged to retaliate. Peskov, speaking of Putin's first televised address since the devastating Sunday drone attacks deep inside Russian territory said, 'The president described the Kyiv regime as a terrorist regime, because it was the regime's leadership that consciously gave the order, the command, the order to blow up a passenger train.' 'This is nothing other than terrorism at the state level. This is an important statement by the president,' he added. Putin had accused Ukraine's leadership of orchestrating a terrorist attack on trains carrying civilians in Russia's Bryansk region, which left seven dead and dozens injured in the derailment of the train and collapse of the bridge due to planted explosives on Sunday. The operation appeared in parallel to the 'Operation Spinder's Web' drone attacks. Putin asserted that Ukrainian political leadership was directly behind the strike. 🚨 BREAKING: Putin accuses Ukraine's leadership of orchestrating a terrorist attack on trains carrying civilians in Russia's Bryansk claims the Ukrainian political leadership is directly behind the strike. — Defence Index (@Defence_Index) June 4, 2025 He also made clear in the address that Ukraine's offer of a summit with Zelensky and an immediate ceasefire has been rejected. It marked a clear rhetorical escalation when compared to prior comments when he said: 'Who has negotiations with terrorists?' Click here to read more… Source Zero Hedge
Gulf Insider
2 days ago
- Gulf Insider
US Warns Britain & France Not To Recognize Palestinian State
The US has warned Britain and France against recognizing a Palestinian state at a UN conference later this month, Middle East Eye can reveal. France and Saudi Arabia are set to co-host a major UN conference on the two-state solution beginning on June 17 in New York. France is reportedly gearing up to unilaterally recognize a Palestinian state at the conference. MEE understands that France has been lobbying Britain to do so as well. French officials believe the British government is onboard with the plan, according to French media. But Washington privately begun to warn Britain and France against unilaterally recognizing Palestine, sources with knowledge of the matter in the British Foreign Office told MEE. At the same time Arab states are urging them to proceed with the move, sources said. In late May, UN member states held consultations in preparation for the conference during which the Arab Group urged states to recognize Palestinian statehood. The Arab Group said they would measure the success of the conference by whether significant states recognize Palestine, Foreign Office sources added. Click here to read more… Source Zero Hedge
Gulf Insider
2 days ago
- Gulf Insider
US Refuses Air Cover For European 'Reassurance Force' In Postwar Ukraine
The British and French-led effort to establish a 'coalition of the willing' to stand up to Russia and defend Ukraine just hit another major roadblock, as Bloomberg is reporting Wednesday the US has effectively vetoed a plan to provide American air defenses to back a 'reassurance force' for postwar Ukraine. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has been insisting that US-backed air defenses are key to any future permanent settlement plans for ending the war. Western proposals for ending the war have all featured foreign-backed and monitored security guarantees for Ukraine. On this, Starmer had said back in February that 'There must be a US backstop' and that the 'US security guarantee is the only way to effectively deter Russia from attacking Ukraine again.' After Western billions already sunk into keeping Ukraine's military and civic infrastructure afloat, the UK and France are also seeking from President Trump pledges of future air power, and border surveillance and intelligence. The Europeans also envision a strong, permanent security bulwark backed by the United States along NATO's eastern flank. Yet, President Trump has repeatedly warned allies that if NATO countries don't pay their fair share they won't be protected. This despite European leaders as well as some US politicians expressing recent concern that the Atlantic alliance is becoming weaker than ever, and that Article 5 collective defense is in peril. Trump has lashed out at NATO countries for not even meeting their current two percent spending goal while the unfair burden has long fallen United States. 'We appreciate the work that the allies, particularly France and the United Kingdom together with Germany and others have undertaken to develop the coalition of the willing,' US Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker said at a press breifing Brussels on Wednesday. 'We are counting on all our European allies to continue taking the leadership position in contributing military resources and providing the political capital to make security guarantees a reality.' All of this comes as it was only on Tuesday that Dutch slapped down a proposal to increase defense spending to 3.5% of gross domestic product (GDP), key to NATO's capability targets, in a non-binding motion. Click here to read more…
