Germany’s Merz vows support for Ukraine in producing long-range missiles
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz pledged on Wednesday to support Ukraine in developing its own long-range missile systems, free from Western-imposed restrictions on range and targeting. He also reaffirmed Germany’s commitment to increasing pressure on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.
Speaking during Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's visit to Berlin on Wednesday, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said his government would help enable a joint production of long-range missiles, News.Az reports citing France24.
"We want to enable long-range weapons, we also want to enable joint production, and we will not speak about details publicly but will intensify cooperation," he said at a joint news conference with Zelensky.
Some of the advanced weapon systems that Kyiv’s Western partners have supplied to Ukraine during the more than three-year war were subject to range and target restrictions. The limits have been a fraught political issue, stemming from fears that if the weapons struck Russia, the Kremlin might retaliate against the country that provided them and suck NATO into Europe’s biggest conflict since World War II.
Merz on Wednesday said that under an intensified cooperation agreement with Ukraine, Germany “will strive to equip the Ukrainian army with all the capabilities that truly enable it to successfully defend the country”, including upgraded domestic missile production.
Germany has been the second-biggest supplier of military aid to Ukraine after the US.
“Ukraine will be able to fully defend itself including against military targets outside its own territory” with its own missiles, Merz said.
Zelensky said the two leaders had agreed to cooperate in production in Ukraine of weapons, including drones. Government officials had signed agreements on the construction and development of production facilities, he said.
"These new projects already exist," Zelensky said. "We just want them to be in the amount that we need."
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