Western allies lift Ukraine's restrictions on long-range weapons, says Merz

Published connected 26/05/2025 - 15:59 GMT+2•Updated 23:16

Western friends are not imposing immoderate scope restrictions connected nan usage of long-range weapons delivered to Ukraine against Russian subject targets, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said connected Monday. 

Merz pointed retired that nan restrictions person been lifted not only connected German weapons. 

"There are nary longer immoderate restrictions connected nan scope of weapons delivered to Ukraine, neither by nan UK, France, nor us. There are nary restrictions by nan US either," he said during a chat forum organised by nan nationalist broadcaster, WDR.

He stated that Ukraine tin now "defend itself, for example, by attacking subject accommodation successful Russia."

"Until recently, it couldn’t do that, and isolated from very fewer exceptions, it hadn't done truthful either."

The German chancellor stressed that while Kyiv is utilizing its weapons to target Russian subject infrastructure, Russia continues to onslaught Ukrainian "cities, kindergartens, hospitals and attraction homes."

"Russia attacks civilian targets wholly ruthlessly, bombing cities, kindergartens, hospitals and aged people's homes - Ukraine doesn't do that."

Merz besides revealed that this was 1 of nan reasons for his sojourn to Kyiv together pinch nan leaders of France, nan UK and Poland connected 10 May. During that sojourn to Ukraine's capital, he besides said that each early arms proviso talks pinch Ukraine would beryllium kept confidential. 

In nan past Ukraine received long-range missiles from nan US, nan UK and France, but was only allowed to usage them against Russian subject forces successful occupied Ukrainian territories.

As for Berlin, earlier coming into office, Merz signalled he would cancel nan prohibition of his predecessor, Olaf Scholz, connected delivering Germany's Taurus cruise missiles, tin of striking targets astatine a scope of 500 kilometres.

Speaking connected Monday, nan German chancellor said, "Nobody tin now ridicule america for not having exhausted each nan negotiated intends disposable to us." 

Lifting nan restrictions connected nan usage of long-range weapons will make "the decisive quality successful Ukraine's warfare," Merz explained, adding that "a state that tin only reason an attacker connected its ain territory is not defending itself adequately."