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Dubai Eye
19 hours ago
- Politics
- Dubai Eye
Germany threatens steps against Israel as tone shifts over Gaza
Germany's foreign minister, Johann Wadephul, threatened unspecified measures against Israel on Tuesday and said Berlin would not export weapons used to break humanitarian law. Germany, along with the US, had long remained in support of Israel's conduct since the October 7, 2023 attacks by Hamas, even as Israel became increasingly isolated internationally. Its about-turn comes as the European Union is reviewing its Israel policy and Britain, France and Canada also threatened "concrete actions" over Gaza. Speaking to broadcaster WDR, Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul warned Germany's historic support for Israel must not be instrumentalised, as massive air strikes and shortages of food and medicines had made the situation in Gaza "unbearable". Earlier, Germany's Chancellor Friedrich Merz criticised air strikes on Gaza as no longer justified by the need to fight Hamas and "no longer comprehensible", in comments at a press conference in Finland. "Where we see dangers of harm, we will of course intervene and certainly not supply weapons so that there will be further harm," Wadephul said, adding that no new weapons orders were currently under consideration. The shift in government stance comes after calls among the junior coalition partner, the Social Democrats, to halt arms exports to Israel or else risk what the move's backers say would be German complicity in war crimes. Worsening Hunger Attacks on Gaza killed dozens in recent days, and the population of more than 2 million faces worsening hunger and starvation, according to a U.N.-backed monitor. Efforts to revive a short-lived ceasefire that broke down in March have made little visible progress, although one regional diplomat said talks were still going on in Doha and there remained a chance for a deal. The German comments are notable given that Merz won elections in February promising to host Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on German soil in defiance of an arrest warrant by the International Criminal Court (ICC). "The massive military strikes by the Israelis in the Gaza Strip no longer reveal any logic to me - how they serve the goal of confronting terror," Merz said in Turku, Finland.
Egypt Independent
2 days ago
- Politics
- Egypt Independent
Kremlin criticizes move by Ukraine's allies to lift ban on firing long-range missiles at Russia
CNN — The Kremlin has slammed a 'dangerous' decision by Ukraine's allies to lift the ban on Kyiv firing long-range missiles into Russia after German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said there were no longer any range restrictions on Western-supplied weapons. Speaking after days of Russia bombarding the Ukrainian capital and other regions with massive aerial attacks, the German chancellor said Monday that his country and other allies had lifted range restrictions. 'There are no longer any range restrictions on weapons supplied to Ukraine. Neither from the British, nor from the French, nor from us. Nor by the Americans,' Merz said at an event held by the German public broadcaster WDR. 'In other words, Ukraine can now defend itself, even by attacking military positions in Russia, for example. It wasn't able to do that until some time ago. With very few exceptions, it didn't do that until a while ago either,' Merz explained. On Tuesday, after his quotes were interpreted as an announcement of new policy, Merz said this 'has been the case for months.' Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov slammed Merz's announcement on Monday, saying the lifting of restrictions was 'rather dangerous,' according to Russia's state-owned news agency TASS. 'If such decisions are made, they will absolutely go against our aspirations to reach a political settlement and the efforts being made within the framework of the settlement,' he said, according to TASS. Russia has previously openly threatened that any lifting of restrictions on long-range weapons would mean war with NATO. Putin has warned the West that Moscow would consider any assault supported by a nuclear power to be a joint attack – and that Russia could use nuclear weapons if it was struck with conventional missiles. The threat of using nuclear weapons was a significant escalation in rhetoric by the Kremlin – although it did not act on the threat once Kyiv started using UK and US made missiles to strike inside Russia's territory. Ukraine's key allies had in the past resisted Ukraine's requests to use Western-supplied weapons deep inside Russia. That has changed late last year, when former US President Joe Biden gave a green light to Ukraine to use the US-supplied long-range Army Tactical Missile Systems, or ATACMS, inside Russia. But that, too, was a controversial decision that took months of discussion to reach. The US refused to even provide ATACMS to Ukraine for the first two years of the war, only delivering the missiles for the first time in April 2024. Some American officials worried about escalating the war, now in its fourth year, while others worried about the Pentagon's dwindling weapons stockpiles. Merz was appointed chancellor several weeks ago – and his declaration that Berlin would allow Ukraine to use German-made long range weapons to strike inside Russia stands in stark contrast with his predecessor Olaf Scholz, who had repeatedly rejected Ukraine's calls to lift the restrictions. However, Merz did not say whether Germany would supply Ukraine with its powerful long-range Taurus missiles – something he had supported when Scholz was still in power, Reuters reported. The comments from Merz came in the wake of record-breaking drone and missile attacks on Ukraine over the weekend. Russian President Vladimir Putin is facing international pressure to accept a ceasefire deal, including from US President Donald Trump, who has grown increasingly frustrated by the slow progress. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky is expected to visit Berlin on Wednesday, Reuters reported, citing several sources. Russia's attacks over the weekend killed more than two dozen people, including children, as Ukraine urged Western allies to continue pressuring Moscow to end the war. 'Without really strong pressure on the Russian leadership, this brutality cannot be stopped,' Zelensky said on Sunday. Trump on Monday voiced increasing frustration with Putin, saying the Russian leader had 'gone absolutely crazy' – while also criticizing Zelensky's statements as causing 'problems.' Pressure is also building from within Trump's Republican base, with a number of congressmen – including Sens. Chuck Grassley and Lindsey Graham, and Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick and Don Bacon – urging the president to impose stringent sanctions on Russia. 'It is a time for honesty. Peace talks are having zero effect on Putin,' Bacon wrote on X. 'The US and allies must arm Ukraine to the teeth.' This story has been updated.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Germany's chancellor ends weapons range limits for Ukraine despite Russian nuclear threats
Germany's new chancellor, Friedrich Merz, says his country, as well as its allies, have lifted all range restrictions on the weapons delivered to Ukraine. Merz has seemingly attempted to maintain diplomatic efforts as he tries to secure a ceasefire keeping Western support for Ukraine. "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," he posted to the social media platform X. Putin Mulls Striking Kyiv With New Hypersonic Missile That Can Reportedly Reach Us West Coast In an accompanying statement Monday, Merz said that the range restrictions on weapons that have been delivered to Ukraine would include the British, the French, and America. "That means Ukraine can also defend itself by, for example, attacking military positions in Russia," Merz said at a forum organized by WDR public television. "Until a while ago, it couldn't. … It can now." Read On The Fox News App "We call this 'long-range fire' in jargon, also supplying Ukraine with weapons that attack military targets in the hinterland," he added. Us Briefed Ukraine Ahead Of Putin's 'Experimental Intermediate-range Ballistic' Attack Just last week, Merz made a call for Germany to defend democracy and strengthen the constitutional state amid the conflict. "The Basic Law allows us to live in freedom, peace, and security – we are proud of that. But our freedom is being attacked from within and without like never before. Therefore, we must stand up for a strong constitutional state and defend our democracy every day," he posted. Merz's statements come after Moscow hit Ukraine with more than 300 missiles and drones. Dmitry Peskov, a spokesperson for the Kremlin, warned that lifting the range restrictions would be dangerous in a statement, saying that it runs "contrary to our efforts to reach a political settlement." Moscow warned the West to not lift the restrictions, claiming that doing so would make the offender a target for the Kremlin and face the threat of nuclear article source: Germany's chancellor ends weapons range limits for Ukraine despite Russian nuclear threats
Middle East Eye
2 days ago
- Politics
- Middle East Eye
Germany ‘more than concerned' about Israel's activity in Gaza
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz criticised on Tuesday Israel's activity in Gaza saying his country is 'more than concerned'. He added that "what has happened in the last few days does not appear necessary to fight Hamas terrorism and protect Israel's existence." The German official's denouncing remarks come a day after he had also spoken about the suffering of the civilians in Gaza , as he said on Monday that the harm Palestinians are subjected to in the Strip could no longer be justified as a fight against Hamas. "When boundaries are crossed, where humanitarian international law is really being violated, then Germany too, then the German chancellor too must say something about it," Merz told broadcaster WDR in a televised interview.
Local Germany
2 days ago
- Politics
- Local Germany
German Chancellor lifts range limit on weapons sent to Ukraine
Russia in response warned that such a move would be "at odds" of reaching a peace agreement. Merz, who took office early this month, also vowed that "we will do everything in our power to continue supporting Ukraine, including militarily", in close coordination with other supporters. "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," he said in a wide-ranging TV interview. "This means that Ukraine can now defend itself, for example, by attacking military positions in Russia... With very few exceptions, it didn't do that until recently. It can now do that." Merz did not specify at which stage which country, including his own, had decided on any changes, sparking some confusion. Former US president Joe Biden decided in November 2024 to authorise Ukraine to use long-range Army Tactical Missile System, or ATACMS, against targets inside Russia. Also in November, Ukraine fired UK-supplied Storm Shadow missiles into Russia for the first time, after being given the green light from London, British media reported at the time. France, which has supplied Scalp missiles to Ukraine, reiterated at the time that strikes on military targets inside Russia were an option. The Kremlin said on Monday after Merz's comments that any Western decision to lift range limits on arms delivered to Ukraine would be "dangerous". "If these decisions have indeed been made, they are completely at odds with our aspirations for a political (peace) settlement... These are quite dangerous decisions, if they have been made," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russian journalist Alexander Yunashev. The previous German government of centre-left chancellor Olaf Scholz strongly backed Kyiv but shied away from sending it long-range Taurus missiles, worried that this might escalate tensions with the nuclear power. Merz has in the past said he favours delivery of Taurus, but he did not say Monday whether Germany would now do so or whether he was referring to other weapons systems. Advertisement His new government has stressed it would no longer detail what arms it is sending to Ukraine, preferring a stance of strategic ambiguity. The recently appointed chancellor however took the opportunity to slam Russian President Vladimir Putin's reluctance to engage in talks to end the sighting in Ukraine. The Kremlin chief has responded to diplomatic efforts to bring the conflict to a close by prosecuting the war "harder than before", Merz told WDR. "Putin obviously sees offers of talks as a sign of weakness," Merz said. Since US President Donald Trump returned to the White House this year, he has sought to push the two sides in the conflict toward direct talks at the highest level. Trump last week suggested the Vatican as a possible host for a meeting, with the Italian government saying the leader of the Catholic Church was ready to organise talks. But Moscow has cast doubt on the potential for the Holy See as a host. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said it would be "inelegant" for the Catholic Church to mediate discussions between two principally Orthodox Christian countries. Advertisement Merz said that Ukraine's Western backers had sought to use all the diplomatic options available to them to initiate talks. "After the last three weeks, no one can seriously accuse us of not having exhausted all available diplomatic means," Merz said. Short of "raising the white flag", Ukraine's supporters had "done everything" they could. "If even an offer to meet at the Vatican does not get (Putin's) approval, then we must be prepared for this war to last longer than we all wish or can imagine." READ ALSO: Military service 'could be made mandatory' says German Defence Minister
