Chancellor of Germany Announces Long-Range Missiles for Ukraine
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz stated that Ukraine will receive long-range missile systems to help fight the Russian invasion forces.
The Anadolu news agency reported on this.
Merz did not disclose how many systems Ukraine will receive or when the deliveries will take place.
“For months, we have been working closely with the Ukrainian government on projects involving long-range fire capability, as we call it technically. The Ukrainian military will be equipped with these weapons systems,” Merz shared at a joint press conference with Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson in Berlin.
He also refused to comment on Germany’s earlier reluctance to supply Ukraine with Taurus cruise missiles, saying that this stance was part of a strategy to increase pressure on Russia.
“We have agreed not to discuss the details publicly anymore, because we believe that a certain level of ambiguity is necessary – especially for the Russian side – regarding the scale of our military support in this area,” the Chancellor explained.
According to him, Germany is doing everything possible to equip the Ukrainian army with weapons systems that have the necessary range.
“And this will continue in the coming weeks and months, if needed, up to and including the production of such weapons systems in Ukraine itself,” he added.
Merz promised continued European support to strengthen Ukraine’s air defense and noted that Germany will allocate an additional €3 billion in military assistance to Ukraine next year, bringing the total to €11.5 billion.
At the end of May, Ukraine and Germany signed a Letter of Intent under which the German government will finance the purchase of Ukrainian long-range strike capabilities worth hundreds of millions of euros.
It was not clarified at the time whether this referred to purchasing missiles or long-range strike drones, which are actively used to hit critical facilities on Russian territory.
For reference, the United Kingdom and Germany are speeding up the development of a new missile with a 2,000-kilometer range. The project is part of a large-scale defense partnership between the two countries aimed at strengthening European security and deepening defense industry cooperation.
