Overview

• Friedrich Merz, set to succeed Olaf Scholz as Germany’s chancellor, has expressed willingness to send Taurus long-range missiles to Ukraine if allied nations agree to the decision.
• The proposal follows Ukraine’s persistent appeals for advanced weaponry and comes after a deadly Russian attack in Sumy that killed 34 people.
• Merz emphasized the missiles could be used to strike critical Russian infrastructure, including the Kerch bridge linking Russia to Crimea.
• This marks a significant departure from Scholz’s earlier stance, which rejected Ukraine’s requests over concerns about escalating the conflict.
• Uncertainty remains over whether Germany’s coalition partners, particularly the Social Democrats, will approve the missile supply plan.