Ban on long-range weapons lifted for Ukraine – means NATO is at war with Russia, Putin said

Ukraine has long asked for the ban of using Western long-range missiles to hit Russia to be lifted – and now it seems to have happened.

What is happening?

Monday, the German Chancellor, Friedrich Merz, said that the Western allies are lifting the resctritions on the long-range weapons provided to Ukraine.

What does this mean?

Ukraine has asked for the ban to be lifted for a long time, as this will allow them to hit targets deep in Russian territory.

Could hit Russian launching sites

Lifting the ban could give Ukraine the possibility to hit ballistic missile launching sites in Russia, meaning it could cripple the Russian terror bombing of Ukrainian cities.

German Taurus-missiles coming?

Merz also said that Germany is lifting his predecessors ban on sending German long-distance Taurus-missiles to Ukraine.

The Taurus has an operational distance of more than 500 km (310 miles).

The Russian reaction

According to Le Monde, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russian journalist Alexander Yunashev. that lifting the ban would be “dangerous”.

“If these decisions have indeed been made, they are completely at odds with our aspirations for a political (peace) settlement,” he said.

Putin: Russia at war with NATO

Vladimir Putin has previously said in an interview, that if Ukraine will be allowed to strike deep inside Russian teorritory using Western weaponry, this would mean that Russia and NATO would be at war.

All diplomatic means exhausted

Merz made it clear Monday, that “nobody can now reproach us for not having exhausted all the diplomatic means available to us”.

He added, that lifting the ban will make a decisive difference in Ukraine’s ability to fight Russian aggression.