NATO allies strike deal with Ukraine for 'long range fire' to hit' deep inside Russia'

US President Donald Trump greets Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky as he arrives at t (Image: AFP via Getty Images)

The German Chancellor has revealed that Ukraine will be able to defend itself against Russia with "long-range fire" after Britain, France, Germany, and the US agreed to lift all range restrictions on weapons. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Monday there are “no longer any range restrictions for weapons that have been delivered to Ukraine — neither by the British, nor by the French or by us, and not by the Americans either".

Although not yet confirmed by Washington, the move would signal strong support from the Trump administration and provide a significant military advantage to Kyiv. Western-supplied cruise missiles would allow Ukraine to strike targets up to 200 miles inside Russia, extending its reach beyond the border areas.

Mr Merz said: “That means Ukraine can also defend itself by, for example, attacking military positions in Russia. Until a while ago, it couldn’t … it can now."

He added: “We call this ‘long-range fire’ in jargon, also supplying Ukraine with weapons that attack military targets in the hinterland."

It was not clear if Mr Merz was referring to the easing of restrictions on longer-range weapons late last year.

Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin’s spokesman, called the move “quite dangerous”, claiming it would run counter to Russia’s desire to reach a settlement with Ukraine.

Germany has been the second-biggest supplier of military aid to Ukraine after the United States.

Merz’s government has been tightlipped on whether it will supply Taurus long-range cruise missiles, something his predecessor, Olaf Scholz, refused to do and Merz advocated for as opposition leader. The government has said it will no longer provide full details of the weapons it is supplying to Ukraine, unlike Scholz’s administration, citing the need for “strategic ambiguity.”

Taurus missiles have a range of up to 310 miles.