German Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced Monday that Berlin and its Western allies were lifting range restrictions on weapons supplied to Ukraine, though the practical implications of the apparent policy shift were not immediately clear.
Speaking at a European forum in Berlin, Merz declared that “there are no longer any restrictions on the range of weapons delivered to Ukraine, neither by the UK, France, nor us. There are no restrictions by the U.S. either.”
The decision should allow Ukraine to target military installations on Russian territory, which Moscow’s forces use routinely to stage attacks against Ukrainian cities.
Merz’s announcement came days after Russia launched a record 355 drones against Ukraine over the weekend in Moscow’s largest assault since the beginning of the war three years ago.
Ukraine has received several hundred Storm Shadow/SCALP missiles from Britain and France and shy of 50 ATACMS from the United States, tallies by defense observers show.
Merz did not mention Germany’s Taurus cruise missiles in his announcement, despite his previous advocacy for their delivery while serving as opposition leader. The 500-kilometer-range system represents Germany’s most capable long-range strike capability and is considered more precise than the systems Ukraine already possesses.