Germany, Ukraine to co-produce long-range weapons, says Merz
4 Min Read
During a visit to Berlin, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky secured German support for the development of long-range weapons capable of striking targets in Russia.
-
Germany's Chancellor Friedrich Merz, right, and Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy attend a news conference at the chancellery in Berlin, Germany, Wednesday, May 28, 2025 (AP)
During a visit by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday, Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced that Berlin would assist Kiev in developing new long-range weapons capable of striking targets within Russian territory.
Merz announced that the defense ministers of both countries would soon sign a memorandum of understanding to collaborate on the production of long-range weapons systems, though he refrained from sharing specific technical details or disclosing the names of the manufacturers involved in the project.
"There will be no range restrictions, allowing Ukraine to fully defend itself, even against military targets outside its own territory," the German Chancellor said at a press conference.
He mentioned that the collaborative development of long-range weapons could occur either in Ukraine or Germany, while also clarifying that no additional specifics would be disclosed at this time.
Merz praised the initiative as marking the start of a promising new era in defense industry collaboration between the two nations with significant potential for growth.
Zelensky visits Germany amid escalation
Zelensky's visit to Berlin follows the recent escalation in the Ukrainian war, including some of its most intense missile and drone attacks on Ukraine, while US President Donald Trump has been increasingly vocal about his frustrations with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Zelensky accuses Russia of delaying peace negotiations
The Ukrainian president claimed that Russia was deliberately delaying peace negotiations, and asserted that Moscow had no intention of stopping its three-year invasion, warning that "they will constantly look for reasons not to end the war."
Merz accuses Russia of pursuing aggressive war
Merz stated that the recent large-scale air strikes, especially those targeting Kiev over the weekend, clearly demonstrated not a pursuit of peace but rather the brutal tactics of an aggressive war, emphasizing that such actions were a direct insult to everyone working toward securing a ceasefire.
"The Russian side's refusal to hold talks, the refusal to observe a ceasefire, now really has consequences, and we are drawing these consequences every day", Merz added.
Despite claims by allies of Kiev that Russia is striking civilian targets, Sputnik reported that Moscow struck key military facilities responsible for producing weapons for Ukraine.
Trump threatens Russia, Medvedev fires back
On May 27, US President Donald Trump warned Russia, declaring that Moscow would have encountered "many severe consequences" if not for his actions, while delivering a pointed threat.
What [Russian President] Vladimir Putin doesn't realize is that if it weren't for me, lots of really bad things would have already happened to Russia," Trump said in a post on Truth Social, noting that Russia is "playing with fire."
The former Russian president fired back with a sharp response on social media platform X, addressing Trump's warnings about Putin "risking dangerous consequences" and suggesting catastrophic outcomes for Russia. Medvedev asserted that the only truly catastrophic scenario would be a third world war, expressing hope that Trump fully grasped the gravity of such a possibility.
Russia hits Kiev missile plant
On May 26, Sergey Lebedev, a coordinator of the Russia-aligned Secret Work Movement, reported that a strike had hit a production facility at Kiev's Artem plant, which manufactures components for Ukrainian missiles.
Lebedev stated, as reported by the Russian news agency Sputnik, that the strike caused damage to equipment and resulted in injuries to several engineers, including foreign nationals.
Lebedev stated that the strike had precisely hit a workshop at the Artem plant, a crucial Ukrainian facility for missile component production, where spare parts for missiles were being manufactured, and that the attack had triggered a fire which destroyed Western-supplied equipment.
He noted that the attack either rendered it completely inoperable or in need of significant repairs, while also reportedly causing extensive damage to electronics and computer systems.
