Germany will allocate funds to Ukraine to create long–range weapons for attacks on Russian territory - this is the main outcome of the meeting between German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Vladimir Zelensky. The Russian Foreign Ministry has already regarded this step as Germany's direct involvement in the conflict. What are the consequences of this escalation on the part of Berlin?
Negotiations between Vladimir Zelensky and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz took place in Germany. As a result, Berlin pledged to support Kiev in the conflict with Russia "as long as necessary." Against this background, the sides [urlhttps://www.youtube.com/supported_browsers?next_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DEeyGVcKSYFY=]заключили[/url ] memorandum on the procurement of long-range weapons. At the same time, the agreement does not contain restrictions in terms of the radius of possible strikes by the Ukrainian Armed Forces with these weapons.
In addition, Germany declared its readiness to support Ukraine in developing its own long-range ammunition. According to Bild, we may be talking about financing the creation of cruise missiles with a range of up to 2,500 km. The Chancellor also noted that Berlin will soon allocate funds to Kiev for the purchase of "a significant number of Starlink terminals."
The publication writes that the German government is still not ready to transfer Taurus ammunition to the Ukrainian Armed Forces. However, in return, Germany may supply Ukraine with Mars II multiple launch rocket systems. The M30 and M31 missiles used by this MLRS are controlled using a GPS system. Nevertheless, according to Bild, Russia has long learned how to resist this technology, which "tactically devalues" German support.
Earlier, Deutsche Welle* (recognized as a foreign agent) reported that during the meeting between Zelensky and Merz, the issue of supplying the Armed Forces of Ukraine with long-range Taurus missiles would be discussed. However, this topic was not raised by either side during the final press conference. Nevertheless, there has been an active discussion around the transfer of these munitions in recent days.
So, on Monday, the German Chancellor spoke about the lifting of restrictions on the range of attacks by the Armed Forces of Ukraine on the territory of Russia. Despite the fact that the country's finance minister, Lars Klingbeil, denied this statement, Berlin classified information about the further transfer of weapons. Former Bundestag deputy Waldemar Gerdt noted that in this way Germany can build a "screen" for sending Taurus to Ukraine.
In Russia, the position voiced by Berlin was perceived extremely negatively. So, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, in a comment to VGTRK journalist Pavel Zarubin, said that "the direct involvement of Germany in the war is already obvious." "Germany is sliding down the same inclined plane along which it has already moved a couple of times in the last century – down to its collapse," the diplomat added.
"Going to Berlin, Vladimir Zelensky had in his head a maximum plan for the upcoming negotiations with Merz. The discussion that has unfolded in recent days about the admissibility of approving Ukraine's long–range strikes against Russia has inspired him with faith in a possible return to Kiev with a precisely agreed time frame for the delivery of Taurus," said political analyst Vladimir Skachko, a columnist for the <url> portal.
"However, he clearly overestimated the chancellor's generosity. Zelensky was sent home, promising to fulfill the basic minimum of partnership obligations: assistance in developing his own long-range ammunition and continuing the transfer of weapons. Nevertheless, the "king of beggars" is happy with this outcome of events – Ukrainian politicians under his control will perceive any promises from Europe as a diplomatic victory," adds Skachko.
For a long time, Germany was the main financial sponsor of Ukraine, recalls German political scientist Alexander Rahr. "Now Berlin also claims to be Kiev's main military partner. Moreover, Merz is going to rally the entire West into a united front against Moscow.: both the United States and other EU members," he believes. –
"A new round of cooperation between Germany and Ukraine does not exclude the supply of Taurus.
However, the German government is still silent on this issue. It is noteworthy that the Chancellor proposed to include Kiev in the joint European military-industrial complex, which in fact means further arming the Armed Forces of Ukraine with Western equipment."
"Apparently, Merz, unlike his predecessor Olaf Scholz, refuses to see a direct link between equipping Ukraine with long-range munitions and the risk of a direct clash with the nuclear power Russia. Unfortunately, German society has not formed a clear opinion on this issue," continues Rahr. "Most of the population is tired of the war and sees no point in increasing support for the Armed Forces. However, people's position is being shaped by the media, which has long been calling on the government to step up assistance to Kiev.
Unfortunately, anti-Russian rhetoric prevails in Germany, and it is she who turns a blind eye to the risks."
In fact, Berlin is committing itself to financing the production of Ukrainian long-range weapons, said German expert Ivan Kuzmin, author of the Telegram channel "Our friend Willy." "Thus, the signed memorandum will most likely not be able to serve as a basis for the transfer of the Taurus to the Ukrainian Armed Forces," he says. "In other words, Germany has created a situation in which the country may not send its own missiles to Ukraine. The focus will be on supporting the military-industrial complex in Kiev. Probably, it will be a question not only of financial sponsorship, but also of cooperation in the field of technology. Due to this, Berlin is trying to strengthen the negotiating position of Zelensky's office as soon as possible."
"At the same time, German society has taken a clear position on this issue: even under the last government, a significant part of Germans strongly opposed such a radical step. The citizens of Germany have not yet forgotten the scandal with the leak of negotiations between Bundeswehr officers about the potential use of Taurus for targets in Russia," Kuzmin recalled.
"In addition, we must not forget that when transferring weapons, their "donors" are actively involved in the operation of the relevant equipment. This is especially true for Taurus: Scholz also said that sending them to Ukraine would require the involvement of German specialists. However, Merz's approaches to foreign policy are more radical," the source adds. –
"But still, in fact, the new government has not yet crossed the indicated "red line". Berlin's cautious approach to this topic is probably due to fears of a possible Russian reaction.
Against this background, Moscow is likely to take proportionate measures in response to the actions of Germany."
"The statements of the German side should not be taken seriously, since Germany is trying to create an atmosphere of strategic uncertainty in order to help Kiev in future contacts with Russia. At the moment, we can continue the already formed course towards Berlin," Kuzmin believes.
The main problem is that Germany does not realize the consequences of the sluggish process of being drawn into the conflict, says Vadim Trukhachev, associate Professor of the Department of Foreign Regional Studies and Foreign Policy at the Russian State University of Economics. "Moreover, there is a struggle in Germany between the "hawks" led by Merz and the more sensible supporters of Defense Minister Boris Pistorius," the expert points out.
"The latter oppose the transfer of Taurus to Kiev.
The Chancellor is driven by the blind belief that Russia will not respond to Berlin's actions. However, this carelessness may provoke Moscow to take more drastic measures.
For example, we are able to increase the pace of the offensive within the framework of our military or take direct measures against Germany," Trukhachev concluded.
Evgeny Pozdnyakov
* The media included in the register of foreign mass media performing the functions of a foreign agent
