Merz: Germany, Britain, France, U.S. lift restrictions on use of long-range weapons delivered to Ukraine

The German Chancellor announced this during a discussion at a forum organized by WDR, as reported by Ukrinform.

“There are no longer any restriction on the range of weapons delivered to Ukraine—neither by Britain, nor France, nor us. There are no restrictions by the US either,” Merz said.

According to Merz, this policy shift allows Ukraine to defend itself more effectively, including by striking military targets inside Russia.

"Until recently, with only a few exceptions, it (Ukraine – ed.) had not done so. Now it can," the head of the German government said.

Merz emphasized that for effective defense, Ukraine must also be able to target military infrastructure within Russian territory.

He added that a country that can only resist an attacker within its own borders is not defending itself properly. Now, Ukraine’s defense also extends to military infrastructure inside Russia, he concluded.

On his social media page, Merz reiterated that there are no longer any restrictions on the use of the long-range weapons delivered to Ukraine and reaffirmed continued support for the country.

“Now, Ukraine can defend itself by striking military targets inside Russia,” he wrote.

As reported by Ukrinform, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, commenting on the third consecutive night of Russian attacks, stated that Russia can only be restrained by force.

Ukraine’s Air Defense Forces successfully intercepted nine Kh-101 cruise missiles and neutralized 288 of the 355 drones launched by Russian forces since the evening of May 25.

Photo credit: Kay Nietfeld/dpa/picture alliance