Merz’s decision may contradict that of his predecessor, former Chancellor Olof Scholz, who stopped short of allowing Ukraine to use long-range Taurus missiles, whose range of more than 500 kilometer (310 miles) exceeds that of the U.S.-supplied Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) or the materiel provided by Britain or France.
Washington lifted its own restrictions allowing Ukraine to use U.S.-made weapons to strike deep inside Russia in November, with Germany the only major holdout left.
Berlin is the second-biggest supplier of military aid to Ukraine after the U.S., but does not disclose which weapons systems it supplies to Ukraine due to what it calls “strategic ambiguity.”
As a result, Merz did not specifically discuss Taurus missiles in his comments, which came after the Kremlin on Sunday launched the largest air raid since beginning its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said late Monday that the Russian army had launched more than 900 drones, ballistic and cruise missiles across Ukraine over the past three days.
The bombardment continued Tuesday, with Russian strikes killing two civilians and injured dozens others, according to Ukrainian officials.
“Russian strikes are becoming increasingly brazen and large-scale every night,” Zelenskyy said in a post on Telegram.
The combination of an unpredictable administration in the White House and Moscow’s intensifying attacks has prompted European leaders to redouble efforts to reassure Ukraine, with the recently-elected Merz saying in a post Monday on X that Germany would “do everything in our power to continue supporting Ukraine.”
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova on Tuesday accused Zelenskyy of “trying to blame Russia for prolonging the conflict.”
