Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Monday that Germany, along with Ukraine's other major Western backers, had lifted range restrictions on weapons they send to Kyiv to fight against Russia.
Mr Merz, who took office early this month, also vowed that "we will do everything in our power to continue supporting Ukraine, including militarily", in close co-ordination with other backers.
"There are no longer any range restrictions on weapons delivered to Ukraine – neither by the British nor by the French nor by us nor by the Americans," he said. "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 previous German government of centre-left chancellor Olaf Scholz strongly backed Ukraine but shied away from sending it long-range Taurus missiles, worried that this might escalate tensions further. Mr Merz has in the past said he favours delivery of Taurus, which could strike targets deep inside Russia.
His government has since said it will no longer detail what arms it sends to Ukraine, preferring a stance of strategic ambiguity. Speaking in a lengthy interview with the public broadcaster WDR, Mr Merz did not say whether Germany would now send Taurus missiles to Ukraine.
He did take the opportunity to slam Russian President Vladimir Putin's for his reluctance to engage in talks to end the fighting in Ukraine. Mr Putin has responded to diplomatic efforts to bring the conflict to an end by prosecuting the war "harder than before", Mr Merz told WDR. "Putin obviously sees offers of talks as a sign of weakness," he added.
The Kremlin on Monday said European countries lifting restrictions on long-range missile capabilities for Ukraine would be a dangerous move. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said such a decision would run counter to aspirations for a political settlement to the crisis.
Since US President Donald Trump returned to the White House this year, he has sought to push the two sides in the conflict towards direct talks at the highest level. Mr Trump last week suggested the Vatican as a possible host for a meeting, with the Italian government saying the leader of the Catholic Church was ready to organise talks.
But Moscow has cast doubt on the potential for the Holy See as a host. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said it would be "inelegant" for the Catholic Church to mediate discussions between two principally Orthodox Christian countries.
Mr Merz said that Ukraine's Western backers had sought to use all the diplomatic options available to them to initiate talks. "After the last three weeks, no one can seriously accuse us of not having exhausted all available diplomatic means," Mr Merz said.
Short of "raising the white flag", Ukraine's supporters had "done everything" they could. "If even an offer to meet at the Vatican does not get (Putin's) approval, then we must be prepared for this war to last longer than we all wish or can imagine."
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The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
Price, base / as tested: Dh182,178
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Power: 350hp @ 7,400rpm
Torque: 374Nm @ 5,200rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 10.5L / 100km
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
2.0
Director: S Shankar
Producer: Lyca Productions; presented by Dharma Films
Cast: Rajnikanth, Akshay Kumar, Amy Jackson, Sudhanshu Pandey
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
ADCC AFC Women’s Champions League Group A fixtures
October 3: v Wuhan Jiangda Women’s FC
October 6: v Hyundai Steel Red Angels Women’s FC
October 9: v Sabah FA
Herc's Adventures
Developer: Big Ape Productions
Publisher: LucasArts
Console: PlayStation 1 & 5, Sega Saturn
Rating: 4/5
UAE v Gibraltar
What: International friendly
When: 7pm kick off
Where: Rugby Park, Dubai Sports City
Admission: Free
Online: The match will be broadcast live on Dubai Exiles’ Facebook page
UAE squad: Lucas Waddington (Dubai Exiles), Gio Fourie (Exiles), Craig Nutt (Abu Dhabi Harlequins), Phil Brady (Harlequins), Daniel Perry (Dubai Hurricanes), Esekaia Dranibota (Harlequins), Matt Mills (Exiles), Jaen Botes (Exiles), Kristian Stinson (Exiles), Murray Reason (Abu Dhabi Saracens), Dave Knight (Hurricanes), Ross Samson (Jebel Ali Dragons), DuRandt Gerber (Exiles), Saki Naisau (Dragons), Andrew Powell (Hurricanes), Emosi Vacanau (Harlequins), Niko Volavola (Dragons), Matt Richards (Dragons), Luke Stevenson (Harlequins), Josh Ives (Dubai Sports City Eagles), Sean Stevens (Saracens), Thinus Steyn (Exiles)
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
WOMAN AND CHILD
Director: Saeed Roustaee
Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi
Rating: 4/5
Six large-scale objects on show
- Concrete wall and windows from the now demolished Robin Hood Gardens housing estate in Poplar
- The 17th Century Agra Colonnade, from the bathhouse of the fort of Agra in India
- A stagecloth for The Ballet Russes that is 10m high – the largest Picasso in the world
- Frank Lloyd Wright’s 1930s Kaufmann Office
- A full-scale Frankfurt Kitchen designed by Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky, which transformed kitchen design in the 20th century
- Torrijos Palace dome
More on Quran memorisation:
The years Ramadan fell in May
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Day 1, Abu Dhabi Test: At a glance
Moment of the day Dimuth Karunaratne had batted with plenty of pluck, and no little skill, in getting to within seven runs of a first-day century. Then, while he ran what he thought was a comfortable single to mid-on, his batting partner Dinesh Chandimal opted to stay at home. The opener was run out by the length of the pitch.
Stat of the day – 1 One six was hit on Day 1. The boundary was only breached 18 times in total over the course of the 90 overs. When it did arrive, the lone six was a thing of beauty, as Niroshan Dickwella effortlessly clipped Mohammed Amir over the square-leg boundary.
The verdict Three wickets down at lunch, on a featherbed wicket having won the toss, and Sri Lanka’s fragile confidence must have been waning. Then Karunaratne and Chandimal's alliance of precisely 100 gave them a foothold in the match. Dickwella’s free-spirited strokeplay meant the Sri Lankans were handily placed at 227-4 at the close.
