"The chancellor is once again putting party interests above the interests of Germany's foreign and security policy," Florian Hahn, a member of the German opposition CDU/CSU bloc, said.
If confirmed, this would mark the first instance of Ukraine using U.S.-made long-range missiles on Russian territory since Washington eased the restrictions last week.
"The weapons President Biden authorized Ukraine to use will give it more capabilities to defend itself and, hopefully, make the Russian Federation understand that using force to seize Ukrainian territory will not succeed," U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Brian A. Nichols said in an interview.
French President Emmanuel Macron welcomed U.S. President Joe Biden’s decision to allow Ukraine to strike targets in Russia with long-range American missiles, calling it "a good decision" on Nov. 18.
Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp praised the decision, but regretted that it was leaked to the media. "I would have preferred it to be a surprise for the Russians."
Key developments on Nov. 18: * Russian missile attack on Odesa hits residential area, kills 10, injures 55 * US aims to 'provoke further escalation' — Kremlin comments on long-range strikes * Scholz's stance on Taurus unchanged despite US permission on long-range strikes * Turkish president to propose freezing Ukraine front line, Bloomberg reports * Zelensky
"The Biden administration has authorized the use of its weapons up to 300 kilometers inside Russian territory," the European Union's top diplomat, Josep Borrell, said. "The American administration said no for a long time, and they ended up saying yes."
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, known for echoing Moscow's talking points, claimed that U.S. President Joe Biden has authorized the use of ATACMS against targets in Russia "to disrupt or delay peace talks completely."
"Ukrainians shouldn't have to wait for rockets to cross the border — they should be able to destroy launch sites directly," German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has "made his position clear" on the matter and will "not change his position anymore," spokesperson Wolfgang Buchner told AFP.
"You know, with the reports in Western media, it is obvious that the outgoing administration in Washington intends to take steps... to add fuel to the fire and continue to provoke further escalation of tensions," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told the media.
The German Green Party's candidate for chancellor, incumbent Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck, told the ARD television channel on Nov. 17 that if elected, he would greenlight the delivery of Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine.
"This is a very big step towards the start of World War III," lawmaker Vladimir Dzhabarov said, according to Russia’s state-owned TASS state news agency.
"But strikes are not carried out with words. Such things are not announced. Missiles will speak for themselves," President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
While reposting a news item of the policy change on X, Trump Jr. referred to the Biden administration as "imbeciles" for allowing the decision to go forward.
The permission should initially apply to strikes against Russian and North Korean soldiers in Kursk Oblast but could eventually expand to other areas, undisclosed official sources told the New York Times.
The Russian Defense Ministry is considering "various options" as a response if Ukraine launches long-range strikes against Russia with Western support, Russian President Vladimir Putin told state media in an interview published on Oct. 27.
Ukraine says it has the know-how to produce more much-needed drones as well as missiles for strikes deep into Russia, and all it needs is financial backing from Western allies. “We’ve got all the knowledge, we've got all the capabilities in place,” Alexander Kamyshin, advisor to President Volodymyr Zelensky
Last month, a Russian missile blew apart an apartment building in the center of Lviv. I sent a message to a friend who lives there: Was everyone okay? “Yes, we were lucky,” he replied. “Our friends who live just next to us, a young woman and her three daughters, are
Washington is also planning to provide $800 million as the first tranche for the production of Ukrainian drones, President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
Ukraine's victory plan includes a request for greater numbers of ATACMS and Storm Shadow missiles and a permission to launch then against military targets in Russia, presidential advisor Mykhailo Podolyak told the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) in comments published on Oct. 14.
At first, there should be an appeal to Russian President Vladimir Putin to stop attacking civilian targets in Ukraine. If Moscow does not concede, Ukraine should be free to use already delivered weapons without restrictions, said the German opposition leader.
Key developments on Oct. 2: * Ukrainian forces withdraw from Vuhledar in Donetsk Oblast * Ukraine aims to boost ballistic missiles, long-range arms production in 2025, Umerov says * 1.5 million Ukrainian children at risk of being deported to Russia, ombudsman says * 589 civilians killed in Ukraine in summer 2024 by Russia's
Key developments on Sept. 27: * Trump meets with Zelensky, says his views on ending the war 'as soon as possible' have not changed * Crimean bridge defenses being bolstered by underwater drone traps, according to reports * US intelligence warns of risks in permitting Ukraine's long-range strikes, NYT reports * Ombudsman denies reports
The White House is concerned that President Volodymyr Zelensky's victory plan for Ukraine lacks a clear strategy to win against Russia, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on Sept. 25, citing U.S. and European officials. Zelensky is set to present the details of his much-anticipated plan to U.S.
"Germany will not lift any restrictions. This does not depend on my personal attitude," German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Sept. 23, before meeting with Zelensky to discuss Ukraine's peace plan.
President Volodymyr Zelensky is set to be the latest world leader to nudge his U.S. counterpart Joe Biden in a face-to-face meeting into providing Kyiv with more firepower — key to a potential Ukrainian victory — and the crucial right to use it against Russia’s invading forces without restrictions. The
The Kyiv Independent’s Anna Belokur explains the top stories of the week, from Zelensky’s "victory plan" to Biden’s policy on long-range missile strikes within Russia.
More than 2.5 years into Russia’s full-scale invasion, as Moscow continued to make rapid advances in the east and launch relentless missile attacks across Ukraine, Kyiv seemed to be facing a stark choice: make territorial concessions for an unjust peace or prepare for a prolonged war, sacrificing more
"It's for the individual allies to make these decisions, but it's important that we consult closely on these issues as we do," said NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.
News that $6 billion worth of outstanding U.S. military aid to Ukraine could expire by the end of September if Congress doesn’t take urgent action is unsettling some in Kyiv, where the painful memory of a larger package delay that led to battlefield losses remains fresh. Delivering the
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said she supports the decision of allies to give Ukraine the go-ahead, adding that Italy is committed to ensuring Ukraine can enter peace negotiations with Russia in the "very best conditions."
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