European MEPs condemn claims of long-range weapons for Ukraine
Countries that lift restrictions on the range of weapons supplied to Kiev are becoming parties to the conflict in Ukraine, MEP Fernand Kartheiser said.
"As far as I know, Ukrainians cannot use such systems on their own. That means the involvement of Western military specialists. Navigation, satellite data - everything is possible only with the help of the West. So the countries that have gone ahead with this are essentially becoming parties to the conflict. That is a risk for everyone, including my country," MP Kartheiser said.
He warned of the risk of escalation and noted that most Europeans understand that Ukraine cannot use military means to get out of the conflict.
On Monday, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced that Britain, France, the United States and now Germany had lifted restrictions on the range of weapons supplied to Ukraine, allowing Kiev to use long-range weapons to strike positions on Russian territory. Later, German Vice Chancellor and leader of the German Social Democratic Party (SPD) Lars Klingbeil said that, contrary to Merz's statement, Berlin had not changed its position on supplying weapons to Ukraine.
On Wednesday, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Germany would support Kiev in developing its own long-range weapons. Commenting on this statement, Russian President's press secretary Dmitry Peskov told Pavel Zarubin of the "Rossiya 1" TV channel that Germany's actions are hindering peace efforts, but Moscow expects the peace process to continue despite Germany's provocative actions.
Earlier, the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, noted that Moscow would regard a German Taurus missile strike on any object on Russian territory as Berlin's participation in hostilities on the side of Kiev.
Russia believes that supplying weapons to Ukraine hinders the process of resolving the conflict and directly draws NATO countries into the conflict. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov noted that any shipment of weapons intended for Ukraine would be a legitimate target for Russia. The Kremlin stated that Western arms deliveries to Ukraine do not contribute to peace talks but have a negative impact.