Germanys Evolving Stance on Ukraines Use of Long-Range Weapons Against Russia

On Monday, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz suggested that Ukraine’s allies, including Britain, the United States, France, and Germany, had removed all limitations on Kyiv’s use of Western weaponry to target military installations within Russian territory. This seemed to signal a significant move to empower Ukraine in its defense.

However, the situation became murkier the following day. On Tuesday, Merz’s deputy and Finance Minister, Lars Klingbeil, informed journalists that “There is no new agreement that exceeds the terms set by the previous government.”

Merz’s predecessor, Olaf Scholz, had previously faced pressure to supply German-made Taurus missiles to Ukraine, even dismissing the idea during a debate in February’s election. He contended that such action could embroil Berlin in direct confrontation with Russia.

Merz’s comments in response to Klingbeil did little to clarify matters. At a press conference in Finland, he remarked, «The question of restricting the range of deployed weapons was relevant some months and years back. As far as I am aware, and as I said yesterday, the countries that imposed such limits have long since dropped these conditions.»

He continued, «In this regard, what I described yesterday in Berlin reflects a reality that has been evolving for months: Ukraine has the right to utilize the weapons it receives, including against military targets in Russia beyond its own borders.»

Ukraine has been urging Germany for the Taurus missiles, which are capable of reaching targets up to 500 kilometers away—significantly further than the British Storm Shadow, French SCALP, and American ATACMS missiles that are already part of Ukraine’s military capabilities.

Despite Merz’s previous support for their provision while he was in opposition, it remains unclear if the Taurus missiles will actually be transferred to Ukraine.

This month, Merz indicated that Germany would cease discussing the Taurus missiles publicly, a decision influenced at least in part by strategic considerations. He noted that Russian President Vladimir Putin, having served as a KGB agent in East Germany, understands German. Any internal rifts over the Taurus debate could give Moscow the chance to weaken German confidence in their leadership.

Merz and Defense Minister Boris Pistorius have also rebuffed opposing views, including apprehensions about becoming an adversary of a nuclear power. In 2024, only 36% of Germans supported sending weapons to Ukraine, with many expressing skepticism about increasing military expenditures.

A report from the U.S.-based Institute for the Study of War highlighted over 200 military targets on Russian soil that fall within a 300-kilometer range of the weaponry currently accessible to Kyiv. The Taurus could potentially expand that range to Volgograd and possibly even Moscow.

Experts have warned, however, against assuming that the Taurus missile system alone could alter the course of the conflict. «No weapon is a miracle solution,» stated Ed Stringer, a retired Air Marshal and former director of Britain’s Joint Force Command, in an interview with The Moscow Times. “But it is a significant logical error to suggest that while no single weapon can determine the outcome of a war, all weapons are therefore replaceable.”

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov remarked on Monday that lifting missile range restrictions would pose significant risks for Ukraine and its supporters, asserting, «These potential decisions, if indeed made, contradict our goals for achieving a political resolution.»

For many years, Moscow has cautioned that utilizing Western arms to target Russian territories could lead to escalated tensions. Nevertheless, since 2023, British Storm Shadow missiles have been deployed against targets in occupied Crimea and the Zaporizhzhia region, areas which Russia claims as its own. Peter Dickinson from the Atlantic Council think tank commented that this made a “mockery” of Moscow’s declared red lines in the conflict.

In November 2024, the Biden administration authorized Kyiv to target sites in Russia using U.S.-made ATACMS missiles. Later that year, three lieutenant colonels from the Russian Air Force were killed in a Storm Shadow strike in Russia’s Kursk region. As of now, there have been no confirmed accounts of French SCALP missiles being used against internationally recognized Russian territory.