Image Credentials: Image Title: Kremlin Warns of “Dangerous” Consequences as Europe Backs Long-Range Strikes by Ukraine Source: (Grok, xAI) Date: May 2025 Attribution: Created by AI-generated imagery (Grok, xAI), and it does not depict a real-world scene.
By Open Chronicle Staff with Agencies
May 27, 2025 – Moscow
The Kremlin has issued a sharp warning following comments from German Chancellor Friedrich Merz suggesting Ukraine may now target military positions within Russia using Western-supplied long-range missiles.
Speaking Monday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said any European decisions to remove range restrictions on weapons provided to Ukraine would be “quite dangerous” and fundamentally at odds with ongoing diplomatic efforts to end the war.
“These potential decisions, if such decisions have indeed been made, run contrary to our aspirations for reaching a political settlement,” Peskov told Russian reporters, according to Kremlin correspondent Alexander Yunashev.
The statement came in response to Merz’s remarks at the WDR European Forum in Berlin, where the chancellor said, “Ukraine can now also defend itself by attacking military targets in Russia.” He emphasized that Ukraine had not previously exercised that capability “until recently.”
Merz’s comments come amid a broader shift in Western policy, initiated in the final months of U.S. President Joe Biden’s term, when Washington authorized Ukrainian forces to strike targets inside Russia using U.S.-supplied weaponry. France and Germany echoed support in May 2024, stating Ukraine should be allowed to neutralize launch sites from which Russian missiles are fired, though not engage in broader strikes on Russian territory.
A German government official downplayed Merz’s comments, telling Reuters that this did not represent a policy change. “This isn’t new; this government never had a range limit,” the official said. Still, the rhetoric from Berlin represents a marked departure from the cautious stance of former Chancellor Olaf Scholz, particularly regarding the controversial Taurus cruise missiles.
Merz, elected chancellor on May 6, has long advocated for increased support for Ukraine. However, he stopped short of confirming whether Germany would supply the Taurus system, which has a range exceeding 500 kilometers. The current government does not publicly disclose details of weapons deliveries to Kyiv.
In Moscow, Peskov reiterated the Kremlin’s view that such decisions, particularly from major European powers, risk triggering a serious escalation.
Meanwhile, diplomatic sources told Reuters that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is expected to arrive in Berlin on Wednesday, underscoring the strategic and symbolic importance of Germany’s evolving stance.
As the war enters its fourth year, the debate over how far Ukraine should be allowed to strike—and with what weapons—remains a flashpoint in both European capitals and the Kremlin. Russia has previously warned that attacks inside its territory with Western arms could be seen as direct involvement by NATO powers, a red line that Moscow says could lead to “unpredictable consequences.”
Western allies appear increasingly united in their belief that restricting Ukraine’s ability to defend itself undermines prospects for a just peace. Still, the risk of escalation hangs heavily over any new decisions.
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