Moscow considers Berlin’s potential shift on Ukraine’s use of German long-range weapons against Russia as a sign of “serious escalation,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov warned on Tuesday.
His comments came in response to German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s declaration on Monday that there are now “no more range restrictions” on Western-supplied weapons used by Kiev against Russian military targets.
“If this is true, then this is an escalation and a serious escalation, which most severely undermines attempts for a peaceful settlement that have been made,” Peskov said, referring to the first direct peace talks in three years between Russia and Ukraine earlier this month.
Merz said on Monday that missiles from the UK, France, Germany, and the US could now be used without geographic limits against Russian military targets. His remarks sparked confusion over whether he was announcing a new policy and drew concern from within his own coalition. German Vice Chancellor and Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil said no new decisions had been made on the range of Ukrainian strikes using German weapons beyond those set by the previous government.
Ralf Stegner, a member of Merz’s coalition partner, the SPD, called the comments “unhelpful” and called for a stronger focus on diplomacy.
Merz later clarified that the decision to lift restrictions on Western arms used by Ukraine had been made months ago, further confusing the public and reigniting debate over the possible delivery of German Taurus cruise missiles to Kiev. With a range of up to 500 kilometers, the missiles could strike deep inside Russian territory, including the Russian capital. Moscow has warned that supplying such weapons would make Germany a direct party to the conflict.
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Peskov noted that any change in Ukraine’s use of Western-supplied weapons must be officially approved and coordinated with the US due to the integrated nature of defense components.
“Any European weapon has American-made spare parts. And according to the rules of military-technical cooperation, permission to use a French missile with American chips embedded in it must be given,” he said.
According to Peskov, Merz’s remarks signal a lack of serious interest among EU states in resolving the Ukraine conflict through diplomacy.
“We see that the Europeans do not want peace. The Europeans are intent on further increasing pressure on Russia. They still dream that something can be achieved from Russia by pressure, not by willingness to listen. This is probably the biggest utopia that can be imagined on the European continent.”
