Merz in Kyiv calls for supplying Ukraine with long-range weapons

Merz made this statement ahead of his meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv on Monday, according to an Ukrinform correspondent.

The German politician noted that Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine has now been ongoing for over 1,000 days. He also noted that a "very intense" debate is taking place in Germany over the issue of military aid to Ukraine.

"But there is a fundamental consensus that we have provided and will provide military support to end this war as soon as possible, so that peace can return to the European region and to your country. I want to emphasize that none of us wants this war to drag on indefinitely. We would like to end it as quickly as possible. And I would like to discuss how this can be done during our conversation today," Merz said.

He added that a heated debate is underway in Germany regarding which weapons can be provided to Ukraine.

"The position of our faction is clear -- we want to provide your Armed Forces with the capability to target military bases [in Russia] -- not the civilian population and infrastructure, but the sites from which the war against your country is being waged," the politician said.

Merz said that several weeks ago in the Bundestag, he stated that by limiting the range of weapons, "we are forcing you to fight with one hand tied behind your back."