Berlin, 29 May 2025 (dpa/MIA) - Germany is to assist Ukraine in the production of long-range weapons, Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Wednesday, as he hosted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Berlin for the first time since taking office earlier this month.

But on the question of whether he would okay sending German-made Taurus cruise missiles - which Zelensky very much wants - Merz said he wouldn't rule it out, but added they might not help immediately on the battlefield.

"Of course, this is within the realm of possibility," Merz told public broadcaster ZDF about the Taurus missile deliveries. But he noted that using the missiles would require several months of training for soldiers in Ukraine and stressed that if the system were delivered in six months or a year, it would not help Ukraine now.

That's why Germany is improving its military cooperation and support with Ukraine now.

"We want to enable long-range weapons. We also want to enable joint production," Merz said at a press conference in the German capital.

The move represents "the start of a new form of military-industrial cooperation" between Germany and Ukraine, "which has great potential," the chancellor said.

Ukraine, which has been fighting off a full-scale Russian invasion for more than three years, is in need of missiles that can attack Russian airfields and supply lines deep inside Russian territory.

Merz's predecessor, Olaf Scholz, consistently opposed deliveries of German-made Taurus cruise missiles amid warnings that the move would escalate tensions with Moscow.

Merz reiterated his position, first issued earlier this week, that all restrictions on where Ukraine can use German weapons have now been lifted.

Zelensky made clear that he wants the Taurus missiles.

"Of course we need them," he said.

Defence ministers sign written declaration

Shortly after the press conference, the German Defence Ministry confirmed that Defence Minister Boris Pistorius and his Ukrainian counterpart Rustem Umerov have signed a "written declaration providing for the financing of the production of long-range weapons in Ukraine."

The package is worth around €5 billion ($5.7 billion), the ministry said. The ministry said the plan "will enable a considerable number of long-range weapons to be produced this year."

Commenting on the developments, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Wednesday accused the German leader of further fuelling the war with his remarks.

"This is nothing more than an attempt to force the Ukrainians to continue fighting," he said, accusing Berlin of torpedoing efforts to find a diplomatic solution to the conflict.

Wadephul rejects Russian comments

In Washington, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul accused Russian President Vladimir Putin on US television of being unwilling to end the war.

"Russia has begun this war. Russia is going on with this conflict, and doesn't bring it to an end," he said in an interview with Fox News.

Earlier, Wadephul urged Europeans to do everything possible to enable Ukraine to defend its own territory.

During his visit to Washington, Wadephul met with his US counterpart Marco Rubio, among others. Following their meeting, Wadephul emphasized that despite existing differences, there is a fundamental alignment with the United States in the effort to achieve peace in Ukraine.

He strongly rejected Russia's accusation of warmongering because of Germany's commitment to jointly build missiles with Ukraine.

"If there is anyone who should not be talking about warmongering, it is Peskov, because he and his regime are not only doing so verbally, but are actually waging an illegal war that violates international law," Wadephul said after talks with Rubio.

"And that is why we will not allow him to lecture us in any way," Wadephul said of Peskov.

Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told the Russian state news agency TASS that Germany was allowing itself to be drawn straight into the war by financing the production of Ukrainian missiles, which Wadephul rejected, noting that it was Russia that had invaded Ukraine.

Ceasefire efforts lose steam

The announcement comes amid signs that renewed European and US efforts in recent weeks to seek an end to the bloody conflict are losing steam.

Merz has spent large portions of his first weeks in office abroad, attempting to revitalize German leadership in Europe in the face of the ongoing threat from Russia and an apparent shift in US foreign policy under President Donald Trump.

In the press conference with Zelensky, Merz underlined that "no one wants peace more than Ukraine itself," emphasizing that the Ukrainian government is ready for "technical conversations" with the Russian side "in the Vatican, in Geneva or at any third location."

But, he said, Russia's "massive aerial attacks" on Ukraine are a "slap in the face" for those seeking peace.

With ceasefire efforts stalling, the German chancellor appears to have turned his attention to shoring up Ukraine's military capabilities.

Joint consultations later this year

"We want to expand this further and, towards the end of the year, we will have German-Ukrainian government consultations again for the first time in many years," said Merz.

Zelensky's Berlin visit - his fourth since the outbreak of the war in February 2022 - was only officially announced early on Wednesday, as Zelensky's travel plans are often kept confidential for security reasons.

Photo: dpa