Germany will fund the production of over 500 long-range weapons in Ukraine.

Representatives of the German government have already signed the first contract to finance the Ukrainian production of these weapons after German Chancellor Friedrich Merz promised to help Kyiv with their development. The project includes the production of over 500 Antonov-196 kamikaze drones (AN-196), which have a flight range of 1,200 kilometers and carry explosive charges weighing around 50 kilograms. The UAVs will be ready in the coming months.

Ukraine is already producing these weapons, and on Tuesday it again attacked targets deep inside Russia using the AN-196.

Welt recalls that German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul also announced the expansion of defense industry cooperation with Ukraine during his visit to Kyiv. Additionally, German weapons manufacturers (including MBDA, Quantum Systems, Diehl, FFG, Helsing) have expressed interest in strengthening cooperation with Ukraine. This includes developing projects in the areas of air defense, artillery, reconnaissance, and strike UAVs.

Merz also stated that delivering long-range Taurus missiles to Ukraine remains “on the table”, but the issue is that this system is extremely complex, and training soldiers to use it may take approximately six months.