Ukraine’s Western Allies Agree to Lift Restrictions on Long-Range Fire
In a significant development in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, Ukraine’s western allies, including the UK and the US, have agreed to lift all remaining range restrictions on the use of their weapons. This move comes after a week of intense Russian bombardment, which has dashed hopes of a breakthrough in peace talks and renewed calls for tougher action against Moscow.
According to The Times, Germany’s conservative leader, Friedrich Merz, announced that Ukraine would be able to defend itself with “long-range fire”, while French President Emmanuel Macron called for “massive retaliation” against Russian aggression. The end of strike limitations gives Ukraine the ability to target launch sites up to 200 miles inside Russia.
Merz told an event held by the WDR public broadcaster: “There are no longer any range limits on the weapons that have been delivered to Ukraine: not from the Britons, nor from the French, nor from us, and not from the Americans either. This means that Ukraine can now defend itself, for example, by attacking military positions in Russia … with very few exceptions, it didn’t do that until recently. It can now do that.”
The move was not immediately confirmed by the White House, but it came soon after US President Donald Trump posted that Russian President Vladimir Putin “has gone absolutely CRAZY!” and was “needlessly killing a lot of people”. Trump said in Washington: “I’m not happy with what Putin is doing. He’s killing a lot of people, and I don’t know what the hell happened to Putin. I’ve known him a long time, always gotten along with him, but he’s sending rockets into cities and killing people, and I don’t like it at all.”
The Russian campaign of drone and missile strikes has renewed calls for tougher action against Moscow. The Kremlin played down Trump’s “emotional reactions”, with Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin’s spokesman, saying: “This is a very critical moment, which is fraught with emotional stress for everyone.” Putin, meanwhile, vowed on Monday to “throttle” western firms remaining in Russia.
As reported by The Times, Trump has previously shied away from direct measures against Russia and maintained a sense of optimism that Putin wants peace. However, his rhetoric became sharper on Sunday when he warned that continuing to try to seize all of Ukraine “will lead to the downfall of Russia!”, although he did not specify how.
The use of German missiles, such as the Taurus missiles, which have a range of more than 300 miles, could theoretically allow Ukraine to strike Moscow and easily target military airfields closer to the Russian capital. Ben Hodges, the former commanding general of US Army Europe, told Times Radio: “If [Ukraine is] able now to use Storm Shadow [missiles] … and presumably Taurus against Russian airfields, this is a good thing.”
President Biden gave Kyiv limited permission in November to use long-range guided missiles, known as Atacms, against positions in the Kursk region in Russia. Ukraine is believed to have received fewer than 50 Atacms, which can hit targets 190 miles away. Britain and France have supplied Ukraine with an unconfirmed number of Storm Shadow missiles, with a range of about 150 miles.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Monday that Russia’s mass air attack on Ukrainian cities was an “obvious political choice” that made “no military sense”. He said more than 900 drones as well as missiles were launched over three nights, proving that Russia was “playing with diplomacy” and “deserves full-scale pressure”. In response, Zelensky ordered his military to significantly increase Ukrainian production of interceptor drones.
On the battlefield, Russian forces have advanced close to the key Pokrovsk–Kostyantynivka highway, which could allow them to threaten the key towns of Kramatorsk and Sloviansk during an expected summer offensive. Oleh Hryhorov, the regional mayor of Sumy, said Russia had captured four villages on Monday as part of an attempt to create a “buffer zone” on Ukrainian territory.
Asked how the US would respond, Trump said that he was “absolutely” considering tougher sanctions on Moscow. “We’ll see what we’re going to do … something happened to this guy [Putin] and I don’t like it.” After his phone call with Putin last week, Trump announced that Russia and Ukraine would “immediately start negotiations towards a ceasefire”. However, Putin has made no commitment to halt his three-year invasion of Ukraine.
A bipartisan bill in Congress that would impose sanctions designed to devastate the Russian economy has not moved for weeks as Republicans wait for a nod from the White House. The bill is co-sponsored by Lindsey Graham, an ally of Trump who has said the sanctions would do “bone-crushing” damage to Russia.
The White House has yet to comment on Merz’s announcement, as reported by The Times. The lifting of restrictions on long-range fire is a significant development in the ongoing conflict, and it remains to be seen how Russia will respond to the increased military pressure.
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