Decision on lifting range restrictions on arms for Ukraine made months ago, Germany's Merz clarifies

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz clarified on May 27 that his comments on the West lifting range restrictions on arms for Ukraine referred to a step made months ago.

"The issue of limiting the range of deployed weapons played a role a few months and a few years ago. As far as I know, and as I said yesterday, the countries that imposed range limitations have long since abandoned these requirements," Merz said during a press conference with Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo in Turku.

"In this respect, yesterday in Berlin, I described something that has been happening for months: namely, that Ukraine has the right to use the weapons it receives, even beyond its own borders, against military targets on Russian territory."

Speaking at a forum on May 26, Merz said that "there are no longer any restrictions on the range of weapons delivered to Ukraine" imposed by Germany, the U.S., the U.K., or France.

"This means that Ukraine can now defend itself, for example, by attacking military positions in Russia," the chancellor added. "Until recently, it couldn’t do that, and apart from very few exceptions, it hadn’t done so either."

Ukraine has previously received long-range missiles from the U.S., the U.K., and France — including ATACMS, Storm Shadow, and SCALP — but was initially permitted to deploy them only against Russian military forces in occupied Ukrainian territories.

Only in late 2024, the Biden administration and other allies eased the restrictions, allowing Ukraine to use long-range missiles against Russian military targets in Russia's border regions.

Merz's comments on May 26 caused some confusion as to whether he was referring to a newly announced policy, drawing both praise and rebuke. Ralf Stegner, a politician from Merz's coalition partner, the Social Democratic Party (SPD), told the media the move was "unhelpful" and called instead for intensifying diplomatic efforts.

In turn, a former German defense minister and ex-leader of Merz's CDU party, Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, praised Merz for his comments.

Merz's latest statement in Turku indicates that his earlier comment referred to the decision taken in late 2024 rather than a new policy.

Before becoming chancellor, Merz signaled he would overturn the ban of his predecessor, Olaf Scholz, on the delivery of Germany's Taurus cruise missiles, capable of striking targets at a distance of 500 kilometers (300 miles). He has not confirmed whether he intends to deliver the missiles since taking office.