Yesterday, during a lengthy interview, the German Chancellor Friedrich Merz mention the lifting of restrictions on western weapons used by Ukraine.
Media took that as a new revelation:
- Merz says no more range limits for weapons supplied to Kyiv – DW, May 26
- Germany’s Merz backs Ukraine’s long-range missile strikes on Russia – FT, May 26
- Western allies lift Ukraine's restrictions on long-range weapons, says Merz – Euronews, May 26
> German Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced on Monday that Germany, along with France, the UK and the US, had lifted restrictions on the range of weapons they are sending to Ukraine to help in the fight against Russia.
"There are no longer any range restrictions on weapons delivered to Ukraine — neither by the British nor by the French nor by us nor by the Americans," he said at the WDR Europaforum 2025 at the re:publica digital conference in Berlin. <
Some media even claimed that Merz had cleared the path for the delivery of German Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine:
Germany and its key allies have lifted range restrictions on weapons sent to Ukraine allowing Kyiv to hit targets inside Russia with no external limits, Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Monday.
That announcement by the German leader could clear the path for Berlin to finally deliver its powerful Taurus cruise missiles to Kyiv, something that the previous government refused to do so as not to provoke nuclear-armed Russia.
I was astonished seeing this. There had been nothing new in Merz' announcement.
President Joe Biden had lifted all restrictions on U.S. delivered weapons many months ago:
- Biden allows Ukraine to use US arms to strike inside Russia – Reuters, Nav 18 2024
Britain had even been earlier:
- UK gives Ukraine green light to use British weapons inside Russia – Atlantic Council, May 3 2024
France, also many moths ago, had likewise been open to this.
Moreover Ukraine has long run out of western donated long range weapons:
The green light to fire long-range missiles at Russia means little if "our cupboard is totally empty," added Ivan Stupak, a former officer with Ukraine's SBU security service."
The last ATACMS strike on Russian targets has happened many months ago. The last interdiction of an ATMCMS strike by Russia was reported on January 17. Strikes with British Storm Shadow or French Scalp missiles have likewise vanished.
There was thereby nothing new in Merz' talk. He had not even mentioned Taurus missiles which will NOT be delivered to Ukraine for several good reasons:
- Taurus contains components which are under U.S. export restrictions. The U.S. would have to green light a delivery of those.
- Taurus is air launched. Ukraine does not have the means, i.e. the right airplanes, to launch Taurus from high attitudes.
- Taurus requires other German systems, and, most crucial, German specialists to be targeted and used.
Merz was clearly surprised that his mentioning of the release of restrictions, which had happened months ago, was suddenly presented as a new development or policy change. Today the chancellor was pushed to clarify it:
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said that the decision to lift restrictions on the range of weapons supplied to Kiev was made several months ago, RIA Novosti reported.
"As far as I know, and I repeated it yesterday, the countries that imposed range restrictions have long since abandoned these conditions. Therefore, yesterday in Berlin I described what happened several months ago, namely that Ukraine has the right to use the weapons it receives, including outside its borders, against military targets on Russian territory," Merz said at a joint press conference with Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo.
The media who carried yesterday's sensational headline have yet to wake up to this. I doubt that they even want to do so. They will most likely ignored Merz' clarification.
There is an unmissable war-frenzy in the media. Even the tiniest side remark by Trump, Merz or someone else is immediately explained as a war escalation.
The journalists writing those headlines, and the bloggers repeating them, seem eager to push for it.
Who told them to do so?