Ukraine: is Merz paving the way for Taurus deliveries?
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Monday lifted restrictions on Ukraine's use of Western weapons against military targets in Russia, saying that this was necessary for the country to be able to defend itself effectively. With this move Berlin has aligned itself with other allies whose weapons systems have already been approved to this end. However, although it has long-range weapons in the form of Taurus cruise missiles, Germany has refused to deliver them to Kyiv so far.
A strong signal to Russia
Lifting the range restrictions is the right move but does not go far enough, comments Die Welt:
“Now Germany also needs to supply Ukraine with weapons with a longer range than the standard ammunition of the Himars or Mars II multiple rocket launchers, and also send Taurus cruise missiles, for example. Because lifting the deployment restrictions will be of little use if Ukraine only has a small arsenal of Western weapons that can penetrate deep into Russian territory. Politically, Merz's decision sends an important signal to Russia. It makes it clear that Russian escalations will not go unanswered.”
Words must be followed by weapons
Merz's statements raise numerous questions, military expert Evhen Dykyi explains in Unian:
“Do we actually have the physical means to implement this gracious permission? If we have simply been authorised to use long-range missiles, this permission effectively applies to a very limited number of Storm Shadow/Scalp cruise missiles. Firstly, we haven't received the amount we need, and secondly we're already actively using them, so there aren't many left. ... So if this only concerns the remaining amount of cruise missiles, this is a half-hearted move. ... But if Merz's statement means we'll soon be receiving Taurus missiles, that would be a big help.”
Ammunition for Putin
Merz's statement works in Putin's favour, the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung argues:
“Now Lavrov is using the chancellor's statement to portray the Europeans as the real problem. That in turn is aimed at Trump. His attempts to settle the war through rapprochement with Russia were a boon for Putin. He now wants to blame Europe for the fact that the process has stalled. As this is unfortunately not an entirely hopeless endeavour as far as the US president is concerned, German chancellors should not provide Russian propaganda with any more ammunition. The new German government should stick to its policy of not publicly discussing details of arms deliveries, not even concerning the Taurus.”
Taking a clear stance in foreign policy
Kleine Zeitung says it's already clear that Merz is calling the shots in German foreign policy:
“This is a new pace that is quite surprising in its clarity - and not least after Scholz's meandering over the years. ... The Chancellor was quick to make it clear that in future Germany's foreign policy will be defined primarily in the Berlin Chancellery. The red lines are being redrawn: not everyone in Germany will like this, but it's about taking a clear stance in foreign policy. You could even call it a rapprochement with reality.”
Up the pressure in other sectors!
While this is a step in the right direction, Europe must do more, La Croix insists:
“Europeans can't simply wait for the US president to make a decision. They must continue to bring all their weight to bear on Vladimir Putin. Admittedly, in recent days Chancellor Merz has affirmed his willingness to allow the Ukrainians to use long-range weapons supplied by Germany. Further sanctions could be imposed in sectors such as natural gas and fertilisers. All these efforts are essential to finally achieve a 'just and lasting peace', as Pope Leo XIV recently called for.”