Latest news with #Merz
IOL News
5 hours ago
- Politics
- IOL News
Merz's missile plans could escalate tensions with Russia
Friedrich Merz of Germany's Christian Democratic Union (CDU) addresses a news conference in Berlin. File picture: Annegret Hilse/Reuters Image: Annegret Hilse/Reuters German-based anti-war civil society organisation, the Schiller Institute, has made an impassioned plea to the country's new Chancellor, Friedrich Merz, to refrain from dragging Germany into a direct war with Russia. Renowned peace campaigner and founder of the Schiller Institute, Helga Zepp-LaRouche, made a call for sanity to prevail after Chancellor Merz announced that Germany would be financing Ukraine to the tune of more than $5 billion to produce long-range Taurus and other missiles capable of striking deep into Russian territory. The Taurus missiles destined for Kyiv would be produced in the German town of Schrobenhausen in the district of Schrobenhausen in Bavaria under the complete supervision of Merz's administration. He added that Germany could go to the extent of producing the long-range Taurus missiles by itself and dispatch them to Ukraine for their use. The announcement, first made by Merz during the recent visit by Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky, has drawn sharp criticism inside Germany as well as Russia itself. Veteran Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, responding to Merz's announcement, was utterly blunt, saying: 'Germany is sliding down the same inclined plane on which it has already moved down to its collapse a couple of times in the last century. I hope that responsible politicians in that country will draw the right conclusion and stop the madness.' The move by Merz comes in the wake of a concerted effort by US President Donald Trump to broker a truce between Moscow and Kyiv. Only last week, both nations exchanged prisoners-of-war, 1 000 from either side, in a gesture viewed as the right move towards more productive direct talks between the two countries. The US-led efforts toward a peace deal have been met with heightened war-mongering, especially from the UK and France, the protagonists behind the much-mooted Coalition of the Willing military mobilisation aimed at deploying on Ukrainian soil to deter Russia's possible future offensive against Kyiv. Germany, under the new leadership of Merz, appears to be in sync with the UK and France in beating the drums of war against Russia. Swift responses from Moscow have been aimed towards crystal clear warnings towards Germany, the country that caused WWII from 1939-1945, while led by the notorious Adolf Hitler, until the Soviet army defeated Hitler to end the war. This week, a leading Russian military analyst also responded to Merz's plans to manufacture the Taurus long-range missiles for Ukraine by warning that the German manufacturing site, once identified, would be flattened 'with two Oreshnik missiles carrying 12 hypersonic blocks of non-nuclear warheads, so that Germany will no longer be able to build such cruise missiles in the next five to seven years. This will first be a non-nuclear strike.' Schiller Institute's founder Zepp-LaRouche added by saying: 'I'm sure that the citizens of Schrobenhausen will not be very happy to hear that because if they are hit by Oreshnik missiles — which cannot be stopped — that would forebode great horror not only for Schronbenhausen, but subsequently probably for all of Germany and Europe.' She further made an impassioned plea for international mobilisation to stop Chancellor Merz's administration from producing or sending Taurus missiles to Ukraine. This, added the head of the Schiller Institute, will help to ensure that Germany does not 'slide down the same inclined plane' which had led to WWII 80 years ago. The greatest danger about the German-led escalation of the war 'could, this time, bring us all to the brink of a nuclear WWIII', Zepp-LaRouche said. Appeals by highly respected peace campaigners like Zepp-LaRouche deserve to be taken seriously and acted upon without delay. Their voices are voices of reason. They have lived long enough to recall Hitler causing a World War, during which tens, if not hundreds, of millions of people were killed. It is truly disturbing that at a sensitive time during which President Trump is attempting to stop a war that would never have started had he been in office, as he keeps saying, a few in Europe show a determination to keep the war going. They should never be allowed to succeed to a trigger an apocalypse for the rest of the human race, and humanity itself. Sectarian geopolitical interests with scant regard for the right to life have brought us to the current brink. Yet not all is lost. Washington needs to continue to pressure Kiev to ignore war-mongering calls, and focus on efforts geared toward the attainment of a permanent peace and the reconstruction of Ukraine that would not be used by NATO as a door-step that poses an existential threat to Russia. Had such concerns been addressed when Russia first raised them with NATO and the West, the Kremlin believes that there would never have been any reason to go on the offensive in Ukraine. On June 2, the next round of direct talks between Kyiv and Moscow will likely take place in the Turkish capital, Ankara. Until the world learns to give peace a chance, ruin will become our collective certainty. Voices such as that of the Schiller Institute are thus vital in international public discourse. The biggest hope one may have is that Trump and his Russian counterpart, President Vladimir Putin, could find a common middle ground on which they could bring in Ukraine, and the three could then reach an amicable resolution to a conflict the erstwhile Biden administration was too happy to shore up unconditionally. The ascension to the international stage of players such as Chancellor Merz should concern all the peace-loving German people and the international community at large. After the loss of so many lives, and destruction of infrastructure that continues unabated, the majority of the peace-loving leaders should rally behind all forms of endeavour to achieve peace and bring an end to the Ukraine war.
Time of India
20 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
'Don't Just Talk, But Act': JD Vance Takes Europe To Cleaners; Merz Responds Amid Big Fight
'Don't Just Talk, But Act': JD Vance Takes Europe To Cleaners; Merz Responds Amid Big Fight Source: In a pointed response to U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance's criticism at the Munich Security Conference—where he accused Europe of stifling free speech and losing control over immigration—German politician Friedrich Merz firmly defended European values. Reflecting on Vance's challenge about what Europe truly stands for, Merz declared that the answer lies in a shared legacy: a hard-earned commitment to freedom and democracy. He emphasized that Europe's identity has been shaped through centuries of struggle and resilience, and that these principles remain worth defending—even fighting for—against any threats, foreign or domestic.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Ukrainian ambassador praises gear change in Germany under Merz
The Ukrainian ambassador to Germany has expressed satisfaction with the change in tone in Berlin after President Volodymyr Zelensky's visit this week. "There were clear results," Oleksii Makeiev told radio station WDR5 on Friday, referring to Wednesday's meeting between Zelensky and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. "And on a personal level, it went very well," he said. "We are experiencing a new tone: more direct, clearer, more committed. The personal relationship between my president and Chancellor Merz is one of trust. And these are important things for diplomacy," Makeiev said. He added that he has "rarely experienced such an atmosphere." During the meeting, Merz promised Zelensky that Germany would support Ukraine in the production of long-range missiles. However, Germany still does not plan to supply Kiev with its much-discussed Taurus cruise missiles, and there will be no further public discussion on the issue, Merz said. Merz's predecessor, Olaf Scholz, clearly refused to supply Taurus missiles to Ukraine. He repeatedly emphasized that Germany must not be drawn into the war. Since taking office, Merz has struck a tougher tone towards Russia.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Zelenskyy on transfer of Taurus to Ukraine: All discussions are confidential
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy has hinted that dialogue on Taurus missiles between Ukraine and Germany is ongoing, but made it clear that all discussions are confidential and behind the scenes. Source: European Pravda; Zelenskyy in an interview with the German RTL TV channel Details: Commenting on the issue of possible deliveries of these long-range cruise missiles, Zelenskyy said, "We are working in this direction". "There are certain topics that Chancellor Friedrich Merz and I have agreed not to discuss in public. I promised him this, and I am keeping my promise," said Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Merz, for his part, stated that he did not rule out supplying cruise missiles "within the realms of possibility". Background: Previously, Merz supported supplying Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine. However, when the Merz government came to power in early May, it decided to limit public information on what weapons systems it would supply. Germany's ruling CDU/CSU bloc is increasingly calling for Taurus missiles to be delivered to Ukraine. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
Mint
a day ago
- Business
- Mint
Germany to Help Kyiv Build Long-Range Missiles to Strike Russia
Germany agreed to provide Ukraine with €5 billion in military aid as part of Chancellor Friedrich Merz's pledge to help Kyiv build long-range weapons to hit targets on Russian territory. The German funds will flow to the war-battered nation's production infrastructure, with a 'significant' number of weapons to be built this year, the Defense Ministry said in a statement. The first systems will be operational in the coming weeks. Berlin will also step up deliveries of components for weapons systems in addition to badly needed artillery. Merz, who this week said there were 'absolutely no range limits' on Ukrainian forces making deep strikes into Russian territory, vowed to intensify cooperation with Kyiv as European allies pile pressure on Russia to engage in talks to end the war. He called the Kremlin's assault on Kyiv in the past week a 'slap in the face' to diplomatic efforts to engage Moscow. 'The massive air strikes on the city of Kyiv in particular over the weekend do not speak the language of peace, but rather the language of a war of aggression,' Merz said Wednesday alongside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who made his first trip to Berlin since the new chancellor took office this month. Zelenskiy on Tuesday called on western allies to provide $30 billion by the end of the year to boost domestic weapons production and hold off Russia's advance. With US support waning and diplomatic efforts stalling, Kyiv has increasingly focused on relying on its own resources. Neither leader provided further details on the weapons cooperation — and Merz balked at questions about German deliveries of Taurus cruise missiles, which Berlin has refused to send. But the chancellor said the work will aim to allow Ukraine to adequately defend itself against Russia. Zelenskiy said German and Ukrainian teams will lock in an agreement on financing new projects. 'These projects already exist, we simply want them to be in the possible quantity that we so much require,' the Ukrainian leader said. Responding within an hour of Merz's remarks, Russia said the German leader's comments amounted to a provocation. 'It is nothing other than continued attempts to force Ukrainians to keep fighting,' the Tass state news service reported Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying. 'And it is nothing other than an obstruction of efforts to move toward a peaceful resolution.' Merz repeated his demand on Putin to engage in talks over a ceasefire, 'in the Vatican, Geneva, or a third location.' European leaders have sought to increase pressure as President Donald Trump this week warned that Putin is 'playing with fire.' Since taking office three weeks ago, Merz has signaled a shift from the more cautious approach of his predecessor, Olaf Scholz, taking a stronger line on support for Ukraine's fight to repel the Russian invasion. The German leader also reinforced his position that the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline in the Baltic Sea will remain inactive. 'On behalf of the Federal Republic of Germany, I say: in this context, we will do everything we can to ensure that Nord Stream 2 does not come back online,' he said. Scholz had long ruled out dispatching Taurus missiles, with a range of up to 500 kilometers , enabling them to hit targets in Moscow. And though Merz was silent on the issue, he's expressed approval of its use. His coalition government has agreed not to disclose information on weapons deliveries. The €5 billion announced Wednesday is part of funds that have already been earmarked by German parliament for military assistance to Ukraine. Germany is the second-biggest supporter of Ukraine after the US and sustaining future supplies of weapons and ammunition will be critical, since Trump's support has remained unclear. The date of the next round of direct talks with Ukraine will be announced soon, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told an international security conference in Moscow on Wednesday. Ukraine's neutral status remains a key Russian demand for a peace settlement, he added in televised comments. With assistance from Aliaksandr Kudrytski and Henry Meyer. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
