Germany Quietly Ended Restrictions on Ukrainian Strikes – Russian FM Lavrov

The German authorities had long and secretly allowed the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) to strike deep into Russian territory using long-range weapons, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said when commenting on remarks by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz regarding Berlin's change in policy.

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Taurus KEPD-350

“Mr. Merz announced with such pomp that from now on, there will no longer be any restrictions on the range of AFU strikes. A bit later, the Vice Chancellor of Germany said that nothing of the sort had ever been discussed (...). Then Mr. Merz, apparently after clarifying the situation, stated that he had meant some decision made by the previous German government,” the diplomat said.

Lavrov noted that this shift in position “once again leads one to think” that the decision to permit the AFU to strike targets deep inside Russian territory had been made “long ago and kept secret.”

The minister also added that French long-range weapons are being used to hit Russian civilian targets as well. He concluded that “France is thereby waging war against Russia.”

Earlier, Merz stated that Germany, following the United Kingdom, France, and the United States, had lifted restrictions on the range of missiles it supplies to Kyiv. According to him, this would allow Ukraine to strike targets on Russian soil. He also clarified that the decision was made several months ago.

Details

The Taurus KEPD-350 is a German-Swedish air-launched cruise missile, manufactured by Taurus Systems and used by Germany, Spain, and South Korea. Taurus Systems GmbH is a partnership between MBDA Deutschland GmbH (formerly LFK) and Saab Bofors Dynamics.