Germany and Ukraine reach deal on long-range weapons

Ukraine and Germany have agreed to future military cooperation in which Berlin will help finance the production of long-range weapons on Ukrainian soil.

- Kate Connolly

The deal came as the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, warned that Russia had amassed 50,000 troops in the Sumy region bordering Russia, where the president, Vladimir Putin, has declared an intention to establish a buffer zone.

Friedrich Merz, the German chancellor, said the weapons would be produced in a Kyiv-Berlin collaboration. "Our defence ministers will sign a memorandum of understanding today regarding the procurement of Ukrainian-manufactured long-range weapons systems," Merz told a press conference.

"There will be no range restrictions, allowing Ukraine to fully defend itself, even against military targets outside its own territory."

The pact was forged as Zelenskyy arrived in Berlin in search of more support after Russian attacks intensified, and amid evidence that Moscow was planning a broad summer offensive. It was his third visit to the German capital since the start of the full-scale invasion in 2022 and his first since Merz entered office.

Merz avoided commenting on speculation as to whether Germany would deploy Taurus missiles, which was prompted by his pronouncement that range restrictions were no longer in place, enabling Kyiv to strike Russian military targets over the border.