Germany to help Ukraine produce a ‘significant’ number of long-range missiles in-country

Germany is providing Ukraine with one of the largest packages of military aid to date. On Wednesday, Berlin announced that it would be sending Kyiv security assistance worth approximately 5 billion Euros (around $5.7 billion).

The package covers several different capabilities, including air defense, artillery, medical aid, and small arms.

But perhaps the most interesting item is that Germany will finance the production of long-range cruise missiles in Ukraine.

According to the German Ministry of Defense, the funds will allow Ukraine to build, among other things, long-range munitions infrastructure that would be able to produce “a significant” number of missiles in 2025. Most importantly, the German government stated that there will be no range limits on these munitions, meaning that the Ukrainian military will be able to strike targets of military value at will. The range of these munitions is currently unknown.

By facilitating the development and production of long-range munitions in Ukraine, Germany bypasses a significant hurdle in helping Kyiv defend against Russia’s aggression. For most of the war, the Ukrainian military was limited in its ability to target and attack valid Russian military targets in Russia or the occupied Crimean Peninsula by not having the necessary munitions. Moreover, its international partners, including the United States, were hesitant to provide cruise and ballistic missiles to the Ukrainian forces out of fear of an escalation.

As such, the Ukrainian military had to make do with whatever long-range munitions it could produce on its own.

Although the posture of its international partners somewhat shifted, and the Ukrainian forces can now attack valid military targets in Crimea and the Kursk Oblast in Russia with transferred long-range munitions, including Storm Shadow and SCALP-EG air-launched cruise missiles and MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS), the Ukrainian military remains overall restricted. So, the ability to develop and utilize long-range munitions organically will allow it to increase its strikes against valid targets of military interest across the battlespace and further stretch Russian military resources.

As far as the motivation behind Berlin’s decision to significantly upgrade the military production capabilities of Ukraine, Russia’s continued aggression likely played a major role. Although Ukraine and Russia have been trying to reach a negotiated settlement and end the three-year conflict, the Kremlin has been repeatedly acting in bad faith against Ukraine and has even violated its own ceasefires.

“The massive air strikes on the city of Kyiv in particular over the weekend do not speak the language of peace, but rather the language of a war of aggression,” the new German Chancellor, Friedrich Metz, stated.

Long-range fires have been very important in the war. Until last year, 80% of casualties on both sides were the result of artillery fire – although in recent months drones have been the deadliest, artillery fire is still crucial. Cruise and ballistic missiles have also been causing significant casualties, as well as wreaking havoc on infrastructure on both countries.

Germany’s initiative will allow Ukraine to defend its soil and people without relying that much on outside help.

Feature Image: German and Ukrainian defense ministers signing aid package. (German government)

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