[By Guancha Observer Network, Ruan Jiaqi]

According to reports from Reuters and Politico on the 26th, German Chancellor Mertz stated in Berlin on Monday that Germany and EU countries will continue to support Ukraine. Germany and its allies "no longer limit the range of weapons aid to Ukraine."

He added that "the UK, France, Germany, and the US have not imposed restrictions," but did not explicitly state whether this means Germany will provide Ukraine with the "Taurus" cruise missile.

Mertz also revealed that one of the reasons he visited Kyiv with French, British, and Polish leaders on May 10 was due to this. During his visit to Ukraine, he mentioned that all future arms supply negotiations with Ukraine would remain confidential. Currently, the German government no longer publicly discloses the types of weapon systems being sent to Ukraine.

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

A German government official told Reuters that Mertz's statement does not represent a change in German government policy. He said, "This is not a new policy; the current government has never set range limitations."

Several sources mentioned that Ukrainian President Zelenskyy is expected to visit Berlin, Germany on Wednesday (the 28th). Mertz is expected to discuss the possibility of peace talks between Russia and Ukraine with him.

According to RT, Russian presidential press secretary Peskov responded on the 26th by stating that if Western countries truly make such a decision, it would be "very dangerous," and criticized this move as going against Russia's efforts to peacefully resolve the conflict.

"If (Western countries) indeed make such a decision, it will completely contradict our appeal for political resolution and run counter to current efforts to promote reconciliation," he emphasized. "Once again, if these decisions are true, they will be quite dangerous."

On May 10th, local time, the four heads of state of the UK, France, Germany, Poland, and Zelenskyy met in Kyiv and spoke with Trump.

According to the Ukrainian "Kyiv Independent," Ukraine had previously obtained long-range missiles including the US Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS), "Storm Shadow," and "SCALP" from the US, UK, and France. However, initially, they were only allowed to use these missiles to target Russian forces within the territories controlled by Ukraine.

Until the end of 2024, the Biden administration of the US and its allies relaxed restrictions, allowing Ukraine to use long-range missiles to strike military targets in Russian border regions. 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.

In contrast to its allies, the former Scholz government in Germany consistently opposed providing Ukraine with the "Taurus" cruise missile. The "Taurus" cruise missile has a range of up to 500 kilometers, far exceeding the precision and range of missiles such as the "Storm Shadow" delivered by the UK and France to Ukraine.

Scholz stated that Ukraine had been requesting the provision of long-range "Taurus" cruise missiles for months, but due to the special nature of this missile, Germany could not provide it. He also emphasized that using such a weapon with a range of 500 kilometers might trigger direct confrontation between NATO and Russia, and he had a responsibility to prevent escalation of the war.

The Financial Times reported that Mertz, who just succeeded Scholz as the new German chancellor in May, took an opposite stance. As the leader of the opposition party, Mertz openly expressed support for providing Ukraine with the "Taurus" cruise missile with long-range strike capabilities.

However, in recent statements, Mertz did not mention whether he would provide the missile to Ukraine, only reiterating that Germany would do everything possible to continue military support for Ukraine.

The Guardian reported that since taking office, Mertz has adopted a "more cautious" attitude. Reports indicate that so far, Germany, as the second-largest arms supplier after the US, has not delivered any weapons with a range exceeding 70 kilometers to Ukraine.

About a week ago (on the 15th), Mertz told German media that Germany currently has no plans to supply Ukraine with the "Taurus" cruise missile and stated that this issue is not currently on the agenda.

Regarding this, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Zakharova pointed out that such statements should not be taken lightly, and the German chancellor is attempting to downplay the issue of supplying long-range weapons to Ukraine.

Zakharova stated that on the surface, this seems to indicate that Germany wishes to resolve the Ukrainian conflict peacefully, but this is merely "verbal maneuvering." The real intention of the German chancellor is to make the issue of supplying long-range weapons disappear from public view, "as if it never happened."

RT mentioned that Russia consistently condemned Western arms shipments to Ukraine, claiming that they exacerbate bloodshed and hinder the peace process.

Last September, following consecutive statements from US and EU allies allowing Kiev to use Western long-range missiles to strike targets deep within Russia, Moscow announced revisions to its nuclear weapons usage principles, considering "joint attacks" as those involving "non-nuclear states or groups supported by nuclear states." Russia may respond with nuclear weapons.

Kremlin responded at the time, stating that what Russia said should be seen as a clear signal to Western countries, warning them of severe consequences if they participate in attacks against Russia.

Regarding Ukraine's attempts to use Western weapons to attack Russian territories, Putin previously warned that lifting this restriction would significantly alter the nature of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, meaning that the US and its allies would be directly drawn into the conflict with Russia, to which Russia would respond appropriately.

"This is not about allowing the Ukrainian regime to use these weapons to strike Russia, but about deciding whether NATO countries will directly participate in the military conflict," Putin said. "If such a decision is made, it will mean direct participation of NATO countries—the United States and European countries—in the Ukrainian conflict. This will certainly greatly alter the nature of the conflict."

This article is an exclusive contribution by the Guancha Observer Network and cannot be reproduced without permission.

Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7508926441568879156/

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