[Text/Observer Network Chen Sijia] On May 28 local time, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy visited Germany and held talks with German Chancellor Scholz. According to Reuters, the German Ministry of Defense announced on the 28th that it agreed to provide about 5 billion euros in military support to Ukraine, and the German government will use funds already approved by the Federal Parliament to provide assistance.

The German Ministry of Defense criticized Russia's airstrikes on Ukrainian cities in a statement, saying they "caused many civilian casualties and caused significant damage to civilian infrastructure."

Scholz also announced at a joint press conference after the meeting that Germany and Ukraine plan to jointly produce long-range missiles. "We want to enable long-range weapons, and we also want to start joint production. We will strengthen cooperation, but we will not publicly discuss relevant details." Scholz claimed that Europe will continue to exert pressure on Russia to force Russia to participate in peace negotiations.

Zelenskyy also stated that both leaders agreed to cooperate in producing weapons in Ukraine, and government officials have signed agreements on the construction and development of production facilities. "These new projects have been established, and we just hope their quantity can meet our needs."

In addition, Zelenskyy revealed that some countries expressed support for Ukraine's participation in the NATO summit to be held in The Hague, Netherlands in June this year. "If Ukraine does not attend the summit, it will be a victory for (Russian President) Putin."

Ukrainian President Zelenskyy and German Chancellor Scholz hold a joint press conference Video screenshot

"Politico Europe" pointed out that the cooperation on long-range missiles is part of Germany's 5 billion euro aid plan. This aid plan will fund the production of long-range weapons between Germany and Ukraine, including new air defense systems, ammunition contracts, and logistics support.

Ukraine has consistently hoped to obtain Germany's "Taurel" cruise missile, which has a range of up to 500 kilometers, is more difficult to intercept, and can strike deep into Russian territory. However, during Zelenskyy's visit to Germany, the Scholz government did not specify whether it would provide "Taurel" missiles to Ukraine.

The German government has stated that it will no longer disclose all details of arms aid to Ukraine as former Chancellor Scholz did, citing the need for "strategic ambiguity."

According to reports from Germany's Bild newspaper, citing sources, the German government plans to allocate $1 million to Ukraine for its independent research and mass production of cruise missiles with a range of up to 2500 kilometers. It was reported that Scholz may also provide other weapon systems, including the Mars II multiple rocket launcher system with a range of 85 kilometers, "to circumventally fulfill his promise regarding long-range weapons."

Scholz once claimed in Berlin on the 26th that Germany and its allies "are no longer limiting the range of weapons aid to Ukraine," but did not clearly state whether this means Germany will provide "Taurel" cruise missiles to Ukraine.

Reuters pointed out that Scholz's remarks mean that Ukraine is allowed to use the weapons of Western allies to attack military targets within Russia. Last May, French and German leaders stated that Ukraine should be allowed to strike military bases within Russia used to launch missiles at Ukrainian territory, but not other targets.

A German government official told Reuters that Scholz's remarks do not represent a change in German government policy. He said: "This is not a new policy. The current government has never set limits on the scope of strikes."

According to the Ukrainian "Kyiv Independent," Ukraine had previously obtained various long-range missiles from the United States, the United Kingdom, and France, including the U.S. long-range Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS), "Storm Shadow" and "Scalp," but were initially only allowed to be used to strike Russian troops within Ukrainian-controlled territories.

It was not until the end of 2024 when then U.S. President Biden and other allies relaxed restrictions, allowing Ukraine to use long-range missiles to strike military targets in Russian border areas. In November last year, missiles provided by the UK, France, and the US were first used to strike military targets in the Bryansk and Kursk regions of Russia.

According to Russia's TASS news agency, in response to Scholz's announcement that Germany and Ukraine will cooperate in producing long-range missiles, Russian presidential spokesman Peskov responded on the 28th: "This is further fanning the flames of conflict and attempting to force Ukrainians to continue fighting. This hinders the peace process and is an extremely dangerous trend. Germany's stance is irresponsible."

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Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7509512488916894243/

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