Germany Confirms Ukraine Is Free to Use Long-Range Weapons Against Russia

Germany has confirmed no more range limits on Ukraine’s Western weapons, drawing the Kremlin’s warnings that the move endangers cease-fire talks.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (R) welcomes German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in Kyiv, Ukraine, on May 10, 2025. Genya Savilov/AFP via Getty Images

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on May 26 confirmed that Ukraine is now free to strike military targets deep inside Russia using Western-supplied weapons, as the Kremlin warned that such a move could sabotage fragile peace negotiations.

“There are no longer any restrictions on the range of weapons delivered to Ukraine,” Merz said during a forum hosted by public broadcaster WDR on May 26.

The German chancellor noted that Kyiv must be able to use its weapons to target Russian military infrastructure when Moscow is attacking civilian targets in Ukraine.

“A country that can only confront an aggressor on its own territory is not defending itself adequately,” Merz said.

Russia launched 367 drones and missiles at Ukrainian cities overnight into May 25 in what is believed to be its largest aerial attack since the war began in February 2022 in terms of the number of weapons used, leaving a dozen people dead.

The airstrike came just hours ahead of the third and final prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine, in which both sides released hundreds of captured soldiers as part of efforts to de-escalate the conflict.

The prisoner swap was the only meaningful outcome of a recent summit in Turkey, a high-profile resumption of direct talks between Russian and Ukrainian negotiating teams. Hopes that Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy would attend in person—including expectations voiced by U.S. President Donald Trump—were dashed when Putin withdrew at the last minute, prompting Zelenskyy to follow suit.

In their absence, lower-level officials led the negotiations, which concluded with a prisoner exchange without a broader cease-fire agreement.

Trump, who has been pushing the warring sides to lay down their arms and settle the conflict through diplomacy, recently spoke to both Putin and Zelenskyy by phone, saying afterward that both leaders agreed to continue talking—although he also signaled that Washington would be stepping back from its role as go-between.

Following the latest wave of Russian drone and missile strikes on Ukraine over the weekend, Trump said on May 25 that he was surprised by Putin’s decision to escalate attacks during active cease-fire negotiations.

“I’m not happy with what Putin is doing. He’s killing a lot of people. And I don’t know what ... happened to Putin,” Trump told reporters at the airport in New Jersey before boarding Air Force One.

In response, the Kremlin thanked Trump for trying to broker an end to the long-running war without directly addressing the airstrike.

“We are really grateful to the Americans and to President Trump personally for their assistance in organizing and launching this negotiation process,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters when asked to comment about Trump’s remarks. “Of course, at the same time, this is a very crucial moment, which is associated, of course, with the emotional overload of everyone absolutely and with emotional reactions.”

After Merz announced on May 26 that Ukraine was now free to use Western-supplied weapons to strike inside Russia, Peskov warned that this posed a serious threat to the peace process.

“These potential decisions, if such decisions have indeed been made, run absolutely contrary to our aspirations for reaching a political settlement,” Peskov told reporters on May 26 in Moscow, saying that such moves were dangerous.

Although Peskov did not directly confirm any retaliatory steps, Moscow has previously hinted that expanded Western involvement or Ukrainian attacks deep inside Russia could provoke broader military responses.

Merz declined to say whether Germany would now supply Ukraine with Taurus cruise missiles—long-range weapons capable of striking targets up to 310 miles away. As opposition leader, Merz had repeatedly urged the previous government under Olaf Scholz to approve their delivery.

The current German administration no longer discloses details of the weapons it provides to Ukraine, citing operational security.

Zelenskyy has long urged NATO allies to lift restrictions on Ukraine’s usage of long-range weapons, saying the ability to strike across the border would be a game-changer in pushing Russia toward a negotiated peace.

Although Zelenskyy has not publicly commented on Merz’s remarks regarding that Ukraine now has no range restrictions on Western-supplied weapons, the Ukrainian president on May 26 called for “new and strong sanctions” against Russia, which he said would “serve as a guaranteed means of forcing Russia not only to cease fire, but also to show respect.”

Aldgra Fredly and Reuters contributed to this report.