German opposition leader wants Kiev to give Moscow an ultimatum

Western countries should allow Kiev to issue an ultimatum to Moscow and allow long-range missile strikes deep into Russian territory if the Kremlin fails to comply with it, German MP Friedrich Merz told Stern magazine in an interview published over the weekend.

The politician leads Germany’s biggest opposition party – the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) – and will be its chancellor candidate at the next parliamentary elections.

Germany is potentially heading into a snap vote early next year after the three-party government coalition collapsed last week. According to multiple news media outlets, the elections could take place as early as February 23, if Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s now-minority cabinet loses a confidence vote in mid-December.

Asked by Stern whether he would supply Kiev with Taurus missiles if he gets to lead Germany’s next government, Merz said that “Germany must do everything” to ensure Ukraine can “successfully” fight against Russia, except for entering the conflict itself.

The politician then went on to say that he keeps the possibility of sending the missiles “open” and suggested what some German media have described as an “ultimatum” plan. Merz proposed “giving the government in Kiev a right to say: if the bombing of civilian population does not stop within 24 hours, the range limitations on the use of … weapons will be lifted jointly” by Ukraine’s Western backers.

“If that is not enough, Taurus will be delivered a week later,” the politician added.

Kiev has long urged Berlin to provide it with long-range Taurus cruise missiles. The German-made weapons have a range of about 500 kilometers (300 miles). The Ukrainian government is also seeking permission from its backers to strike deep inside Russian territory, using Western-supplied weapons – a request that has so far not been granted.

Moscow has repeatedly warned that the West’s ever-increasing involvement in the conflict risks a direct clash between Russia and NATO. Previously, President Vladimir Putin ordered changes to the nation’s nuclear doctrine to allow the deployment of nuclear weapons if Kiev were to use Western-supplied conventional long-range missiles to strike Russian territory.

Scholz has been reluctant to satisfy Kiev’s demands for Taurus missiles, pointing to a potential escalation. Last month, he said that he did not “deem this the right supply.”

When asked whether his proposal amounts to “precisely the kind of escalation that many Germans fear,” Merz responded by saying that Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky had previously told him that Berlin was “not doing enough now.”

“Next year we will have to ask ourselves: do we really want to give up on Ukraine?” the politician added.

Germany is the second-biggest donor of military aid to Ukraine, totaling over €10 billion ($11.19 billion) between January 2022 and June 2024, according to the Kiel Institute for the World Economy.

Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev commented on Merz’s statements on Tuesday, saying that the MP was basically “inviting war to their territory.”