According to him, the Ukrainian army can now not only defend itself, but also deal with Russian military facilities far behind the front line. Earlier, such activities were very limited. “This is a decisive factor,” added German Chancellor.
Friedrich Merz also pointed out that Vladimir Putin perceives all proposals for suspending weapons as a sign of weakness. – Even if the idea of a meeting in the Vatican is not accepted by Moscow, we must be prepared for the fact that this war will last longer than any of us would like or could imagine – he added.
The Chancellor particularly emphasized the need to deliver a precise long range to Kiev. According to Clash Report, In the near future Ukraine is to receive from 100 to 150 Taurus maneuvering missiles -German equivalent of the British-French Storm Shadow/Scalp-th.
During a recent visit to Kiev, Merz stated that the German government would stop publishing specific information about military aid for Ukraine. As the Reuters agency said earlier, Berlin intends to introduce a “strategic uncertainty policy” to exclude the possibility of Moscow obtaining data that could be used for military purposes. In particular, according to the agency, Germany will no longer run and update the open supply list for Ukraine, which was available on the official website of the German government from June 21, 2022.
After the start of the war on full scale, Western countries provided Kiev by a long range weapons, but it was accompanied by strict restrictions on its use in Russia. JIn November 2024, Ednak, the administration of the then US President Joe Biden, first agreed to use the Ukrainian ATACMS rocket for force to hit Russia. Shortly afterwards, there were reports of the abolition of similar restrictions on the use of British and French Maneuvering missiles with Storm Shadow and Scalp, although there was no official confirmation from the rule of these countries.
As for Germany, the previous chancellor Olaf Scholz avoided answering the question about the supply of Taurus missiles to Ukraine. In April 2025, before taking office, Friedrich Merz stated that he would support such delivery, but only if it was agreed with the EU partners.
