Turku: German Chancellor, Friedrich Merz, defended the decision to lift range restrictions imposed on Ukraine when using German weapons. Following a meeting with Finnish Prime Minister, Petteri Orpo in the Finnish city of Turku on Tuesday, Merz said that in order for one to be truly able to defend oneself, one must be able to strike military bases on the attacker's territory.

According to Qatar News Agency, with regards to Ukraine's ability to target locations within Russian territory, Merz had announced from Berlin yesterday: "There are no longer any range restrictions on weapons delivered to Ukraine." Back in 2024, the German government had permitted Ukraine to use certain weapons against targets on Russian territory near the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv. However, it had opposed lifting further range-related restrictions, in contrast to key partners such as the United Kingdom and France.