German Chancellor Friedrich Merz earlier said Kiev is not bound by range restrictions on weapons supplied to the country
Russia has requested a UN Security Council meeting to address what it sees as attempts by EU countries to derail the peaceful settlement of the Ukraine conflict, Dmitry Polyansky, the first deputy permanent representative to the UN, has said. The announcement came after Germany said Ukraine has been permitted to strike targets deep into Russian territory using Western-supplied weapons.
In a statement on Telegram on Tuesday, Polyansky said the session is expected to take place at 10am New York time (14:00 GMT) on Friday, and will focus on “threats to international peace” posed by Kiev’s backers. According to Polyansky, the session is a mirror response to a similar meeting requested by “the European sponsors of the Kiev regime on the humanitarian situation in Ukraine,” scheduled the day prior.
The diplomat suggested that Kiev’s backers convened their meeting because they grew impatient waiting for the results of the Russia-Ukraine talks in Istanbul and for a reaction from US President Donald Trump, who has positioned himself as a key mediator in the conflict. “They feel it is important to them to keep the Ukrainian topic afloat at the Security Council, even at the risk of misjudging the tone favored by the new US administration,” Polyansky said.
The move came after Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Germany and its allies no longer have range restrictions in place on weapons provided to Ukraine, adding that the decision was made months ago.
However, German Vice Chancellor Lars Klingbeil appeared to dispute Merz’s statement, saying, “There is no new agreement that goes beyond what the previous government has done.”
The previous German government, led by Olaf Scholz, opposed the delivery of long-range systems, as well as long-range strikes deep into Russia using Western-supplied weapons, due to concerns that the moves could result in an escalation of the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Moscow has long criticized Western weapons deliveries to Ukraine, saying they only prolong the conflict without changing the outcome. On Tuesday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said continued military assistance to Kiev by NATO countries represents “indirect participation in the war against Russia,” which “does not contribute to a peaceful settlement.”
Earlier this month, Russia and Ukraine held their first direct peace talks since 2022, in which the sides agreed to a record prisoner swap. Moscow also pledged to hand over a memorandum for resolving the conflict to Kiev, which will include its key terms for a potential ceasefire, conflict settlement, and a timeline for an eventual peace agreement.
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