Germany's New Leader Steps Up for Ukraine

Germany's new leader, Friedrich Merz, has made a bold move to support Ukraine. He has promised to help Ukraine build long-range missiles. This is a big deal because it shows Germany is serious about backing Ukraine in its fight against Russia. Merz took charge recently and has already made it clear that he wants to boost Germany's support for Ukraine. He even said that there are no limits on the range of weapons that Ukraine can use from its Western allies. The Taurus missile is one of the weapons that could be a game-changer. It can travel up to 500 kilometers, which is much farther than other missiles. This means Ukraine could potentially hit targets deeper into Russian territory. Merz didn't mention the Taurus by name, but he did say that a deal about long-range missiles would be signed by the defense ministers of Germany and Ukraine. This is a clear sign that Germany is ready to take a stronger stance against Russia. Russia has already warned that lifting restrictions on missile ranges could make things more dangerous. They say it could hurt efforts to find a political solution to the conflict. But Merz has made it clear that this decision was made by Western allies months ago. He is trying to show that he is more aggressive in his support for Ukraine than his predecessor, Olaf Scholz. So far, he seems to be succeeding. During a meeting with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky, Merz promised to keep supporting Ukraine for as long as needed. He also warned Russia that refusing to join peace talks would have serious consequences. Zelensky has been pushing for talks that include leaders from the US, Russia, and Ukraine. He said he is ready for any format, but Russia seems to be dragging its feet. They want to make sure Ukraine stays neutral and non-nuclear before any talks happen. Ukraine and Russia had their first direct talks in over three years recently, but it was just a low-level meeting. They only agreed on a prisoner exchange. Russia's foreign minister said more talks would happen soon, but they want guarantees from Ukraine first. The US President has also been pushing for more talks, but Russia seems to be stalling. Zelensky has been urging the US to impose more sanctions on Russia, and the US President has said that if Russia doesn't stop, sanctions will follow.