Overview

• Chancellor Friedrich Merz is under fire for saying Germany would lift range restrictions on weapons to Ukraine before retracting, clarifying he referred to measures already approved months ago.
• Vice-chancellor Lars Klingbeil and SPD leaders maintain there is no new policy authorizing Taurus missile deliveries, signaling coalition resistance to sending the long-range systems.
• President Volodymyr Zelenskiy met Merz in Berlin to press for stronger German military aid and to discuss stalled ceasefire negotiations after recent face-to-face talks with Russia.
• Russia has battered Kyiv with massive aerial attacks over consecutive nights, killing civilians and intensifying calls from Kyiv’s partners for an immediate halt to the bombardment.
• Merz has pledged a more assertive leadership role than his predecessor and plans to meet US President Donald Trump next month to seek broader backing for Ukraine.