UPDATES WITH MORE COMMENTS BY GERMAN CHANCELLOR
By Anadolu staff
BERLIN (AA) - German Chancellor Friedrich Merz confirmed Wednesday that long-range missile systems will be made available to Ukraine, though he declined to provide details about quantities or timeline.
"For months, we have been working intensively with the Ukrainian government to implement projects for long-range fire, as we technically call it. The Ukrainian army will be equipped with such weapon systems," Merz said at a joint news conference with Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson in Berlin.
Asked about Germany's previous reluctance to deliver Taurus long-range cruise missiles to Ukraine, Merz declined to provide details, describing this approach as a tactic to increase pressure on Russia.
"We have agreed that we will no longer discuss details publicly, because we believe that a certain degree of ambiguity is necessary, especially for the Russian side, regarding the extent of our military support in this area," Merz said.
"I can only say that we are doing everything we can to equip the Ukrainian army with weapon systems that have the appropriate range. And this will continue in the coming weeks and months, if necessary, up to and including the production of such weapon systems in Ukraine itself," he added.
Merz accused Russia of deliberately targeting Ukraine's civilian energy infrastructure ahead of the harsh winter, calling it a "terrorist war against the civilian population." He promised continued European support to strengthen Ukrainian air defenses and noted that Germany will provide an additional €3 billion ($3.5 billion) in military support next year.
Merz also expressed hope that EU leaders will reach an agreement next month on using frozen Russian assets to provide financial support for Ukraine. "This is our strongest leverage to bring Moscow to the negotiating table and to end this terrible war in the long term," he stressed.
About reports that the Trump administration has been quietly working on a peace plan with Russia to end the war in Ukraine, Merz offered no details but said he does not expect major progress soon.
"We are in close, daily contact with the US administration, including our advisors, to determine whether we can possibly come up with a plan. But it is not foreseeable at the moment whether this will lead to a result in the short term," Merz said.
"Nevertheless, the German government and my personal staff are in daily communication with the US administration on this matter," he added.