By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
BERLIN/BUDAPEST (Worthy News) – Ukraine and Germany have agreed to jointly produce long-range missiles that could reach distant targets in Russia.
Friedrich Merz, the German chancellor, said Wednesday that the weapons would be produced on Ukrainian soil as part of a new 5 billion euros ($5.7 billion) German aid package for Kyiv.
“Our defense ministers will sign a memorandum of understanding today regarding the procurement of Ukrainian-manufactured long-range weapons systems,” Merz told reporters after talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Berlin.
“There will be no range restrictions, allowing Ukraine to fully defend itself, even against military targets outside its own territory,” he added.
The pact was inked after Zelenskyy arrived in Germany’s capital in search of more support as Russian attacks intensified amid evidence that Moscow was planning a broad summer offensive.
The deal came while Zelenskyy warned that Russia amassed 50,000 troops in the Sumy region bordering Russia, where Russian President Vladimir Putin says he wants to “establish a buffer zone.”
WEAPONS SECRET
However, the German and Ukrainian leaders declined to detail what specific weapons would be manufactured in Ukraine to push back Russia’s military.
They said keeping the exact weapons lineup as secretive as possible was prudent. However, Zelenskyy confirmed that he expected the first weapons to be ready by June next year.
Observers said they expect Berlin to supply Ukraine with technical components to build and maintain its long-range weaponry, including rockets and cruise missiles, with a range of up to 2,500 kilometers (1,553 miles).
Merz refused to say whether Germany would deploy Taurus missiles in Ukraine, enabling Kyiv to strike Russian military targets over the border.
Analysts said the weapons production on Ukrainian soil rather than Kyiv receiving “made-in-Germany” missiles would enable Berlin to calm down critics fearing Germany being dragged into a broader conflict 80 years after World War Two.
Copyright 1999-2025 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
More Worthy News
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s government is growing increasingly anxious about the European Union’s planned “Article 7 procedure,” which could lead to Hungary’s voting rights being suspended over rule-of-law violations, an investigative newsletter reported Friday.
At least tens of thousands of China’s ethnic Uyghurs have been forcibly moved to factories far from their homes in the western region of Xinjiang, a new investigation revealed.
Voters in Poland prepare to choose a new president Sunday in a runoff that is closely watched by the European Union and the United States. Opinion polls predict a close race between a liberal pro-European candidate and a right-wing Euroskeptic.
Communist-ruled Cuba has extended its “repression” of religious and faith groups, including devout Christians, in almost every area, according to a new report released Thursday.
The mayor of the Dutch central city of Barneveld says he has received threats after pro-Palestinian protesters attacked a “Christians for Israel” event.
U.S. Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff has presented a revised proposal aimed at securing a temporary ceasefire in Gaza and the release of hostages, sources told The Jerusalem Post. The proposal includes the release of 28 hostages—10 alive and 18 deceased—over two rounds, alongside a 60-day ceasefire and the withdrawal of IDF troops from recently captured areas in the Strip.
A U.S. federal judge on Wednesday temporarily blocked the Trump administration from halting Biden-era humanitarian parole programs that have allowed hundreds of thousands of migrants from Ukraine, Afghanistan, and Latin America to enter and remain in the United States.