Recently, incoming Chancellor Friedrich Merz suggested he might alter his predecessor’s stance and provide Kiev with long-range Taurus missiles.
Germany has announced a new military aid package for Ukraine, featuring armored vehicles, air-defense missiles, and howitzers, among other weapons. Earlier this month, incoming Chancellor Friedrich Merz suggested he might break from Berlin’s established policy against supplying Kiev with long-range rockets – a comment that prompted a strong warning from Moscow.
On Thursday, the German government released an updated list detailing arms and military equipment sent to Ukraine. The latest delivery includes Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicles (MRAP), ammunition for Leopard 2 tanks and Gepard self-propelled anti-aircraft guns, and missiles for IRIS-T SLM air-defense systems. In addition, Berlin has provided Kiev with several Zuzana 2 self-propelled howitzers, 155mm and 122mm artillery rounds, reconnaissance and strike drones, as well as man-portable anti-tank weapons and assault rifles.
According to the statement, “in total, the Federal Republic of Germany has so far provided or committed to future years military assistance worth approximately 28 billion euro,” with around €5.2 billion ($5.9 billion) in supplies sourced from the German military’s own reserves.
Additionally, “more than 10,000 Ukrainian soldiers have received military training in Germany” since the conflict in Ukraine escalated in February 2022, according to Berlin’s estimates.
At a Ukraine Contact Group meeting in Brussels, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius announced plans to donate military equipment to Ukraine in 2025. This donation will include four IRIS-T air defense systems, 300 guided missiles, 100 ground surveillance radars, 100,000 artillery rounds, 300 reconnaissance drones, 25 Marder infantry fighting vehicles, 15 Leopard 1A5 tanks, and 120 portable anti-aircraft missile systems.
Speaking to ARD last Sunday, Merz, who is expected to be officially named chancellor on May 6, indicated he might send Taurus missiles to Ukraine. The Taurus has a range of 500km.
Current Chancellor Olaf Scholz has consistently rejected Kiev’s requests for the rockets, arguing they could lead to a dangerous escalation of the conflict.
Matthias Miersch, the leader of the Social Democratic Party (SPD), currently in the process of forming a coalition government with Merz’s Christian Democrats, expressed hope on Wednesday that the incoming chancellor, “once fully informed by [intelligence] agencies, will reassess the issue clearly.”
In response to Merz’s remark, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stated that any cruise missile attack on Russian facilities or critical transport infrastructure requiring Bundeswehr assistance would be viewed as direct German involvement in military operations.