Germany agrees €5bn in aid to Ukraine and joint production of long-range weapons

Published connected 28/05/2025 - 16:14 GMT+2•Updated 18:14

Chancellor Friedrich Merz has said that Berlin would activity to thief Kyiv jointly create caller long-range weapons that tin onslaught deeper wrong Russia arsenic Germany agreed connected a caller €5 cardinal assistance package.

Heralding nan opening of a "new shape of subject business practice betwixt our 2 countries," Merz said that Germany and Ukraine would activity to "enable associated production" of weapons.

"This will beryllium a practice connected an business level, which tin return spot some successful Ukraine and present successful Germany," Merz said.

Following Merz's statement, nan defence ministers of Ukraine and Germany signed a memorandum which besides includes nonstop German finance successful Ukraine's defence manufacture and a broader statement betwixt Ukraine and German arms manufacturers.

"This is nan opening of a caller shape of military-industrial practice betwixt our countries, which has important potential," Merz said astatine a associated property convention pinch Volodymyr Zelenskyy successful Berlin.

The German Defence Ministry said a "significant" number of these systems are expected to beryllium manufactured by nan extremity of 2025, pinch nan first batch fresh for deployment successful nan coming weeks.

Berlin besides reiterated its committedness to proviso Ukraine pinch much weapons and ammunitions, including aerial defence and artillery.

Merz declined to opportunity whether Germany will proviso its advanced Taurus long-range cruise rocket to Ukraine, agelong a petition by Kyiv and a measurement that Berlin has truthful acold resisted.

Merz only said that he is not consenting to remark connected nan rumor and nan sides "want to talk astir accumulation and we will not publically talk details."

Visiting Kyiv astatine nan opening of May, Merz said that each early arms proviso talks pinch Ukraine would beryllium kept confidential. 

On Monday, Merz said that Ukraine's occidental friends are nary longer imposing restrictions connected nan usage of long-range weapons for Kyiv to usage against Russian subject targets.

Later, he sought to temper those comments by elaborating that nan determination to assistance restrictions had been made "months ago."

"In this respect, yesterday successful Berlin, I described thing that has been happening for months: namely, that Ukraine has nan correct to usage nan weapons it receives, moreover beyond its ain borders, against subject targets connected Russian territory," Merz clarified.

Taurus missiles are akin successful scope and payload to nan Scalp/Storm Shadow missiles which are supplied to Ukraine by France and nan UK.

But nan Taurus differs successful that it tin penetrate reinforced actual walls and tin beryllium programmed to detonate aft hitting a target, which is why they are utilized against what nan German Air Force refers to arsenic "high-value targets."