“Friedrich Merz, the future Chancellor of Germany, has expressed his intention to deliver long-range cruise missiles of the Taurus type to Ukraine. This initiative was positively received at the meeting of the European Union foreign ministers held on Monday, April 14, in Luxembourg.
Merz reaffirmed his position publicly on Sunday, stating for the ARD channel that Germany is not directly involved in the conflict, but is providing support by equipping the Ukrainian army with modern weapons. “We are not intervening in this war ourselves, but we are equipping the Ukrainian army with such weapons,” said Merz, mentioning that the deliveries will be made in coordination with European partners, as reported by DPA and cited by Agerpres.
Positive reactions in chain
The EU foreign affairs chief, Kaja Kallas, reacted by saying that “each member state gives what it can give,” adding that “the message is very clear: we need to do more so that Ukraine can defend itself and civilians do not have to die.”
Support for Germany also came from Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp, who said that such a decision would send “a very important signal regarding Europe’s position,” while his Polish counterpart, Radoslaw Sikorski, described Merz’s proposal as “very good.”
The foreign ministers gathered in Luxembourg also discussed the provision of additional ammunition for the Ukrainian artillery. According to German foreign minister Annalena Baerbock, Germany will provide a quarter of the promised 2 million large-caliber projectiles to Kiev. She also condemned the recent Russian attack on the city of Sosny, stating that “intentionally attacking civilians on Palm Sunday clearly shows that the Russians want to destroy, not restore peace.”
“Imminent escalation,” Kremlin reacts
Merz’s statements were met with hostility in Moscow. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov warned of an escalation of the conflict, stating that the future German chancellor is promoting an approach that “can only lead to a aggravation of the situation.”
“We see similar positions in other European capitals. Unfortunately, it is true that they are not inclined to seek peaceful solutions, but rather to fuel the continuation of the war,” Peskov added.