BERLIN - The lifting of restrictions on the use of German weapons against Russian territory in the Ukraine war, announced by Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU), is causing criticism in the SPD.

(new: Updated with Mützenich in the 2nd paragraph.)

BERLIN (dpa-AFX) - Chancellor Friedrich Merz's (CDU) announcement to lift restrictions on the use of German weapons against Russian territory in the Ukraine war is causing criticism within the SPD. Social Democratic foreign policy expert Ralf Stegner called the move "unhelpful." Anything that escalates the war is wrong, he told the Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland (RND). "I think it's right to intensify diplomatic efforts."

Former SPD parliamentary group leader Rolf Mützenich also expressed a distanced view. He said on Deutschlandfunk radio that he was very unsure about the implications of Merz's move into the war zone. He still had many questions for the Chancellor. He said it was right to limit the scope. "I would ask the federal government to participate in the current diplomatic efforts," Mützenich said. It was quite obvious that Russian President Vladimir Putin was escalating tensions, and therefore everything must be done to underpin the negotiation process with further diplomatic initiatives.

The Green Party's deputy parliamentary group leader, Agnieszka Brugger, welcomed the Chancellor's announcement. "Vladimir Putin is bombing all peace efforts and offers of talks with renewed cruelty. It would be a mistake to accept this passively," she said.

Merz: "No more range restrictions"

Merz declared on Monday at the WDR Europaforum in Berlin that there are no longer any restrictions on the range of weapons supplied by Germany to Ukraine, and thus on their use against Russian territory. "There are no longer any range restrictions on weapons supplied to Ukraine, neither by the British nor the French, nor by us, nor by the Americans," he said. This means that Ukraine can now "also defend itself, for example, by attacking military positions in Russia. It couldn't do that until recently."

The statement represents a change of course from his predecessor, Olaf Scholz (SPD). While Scholz had authorized the use of German weapons, such as the Mars II multiple rocket launcher, against positions on Russian territory in the region around the embattled city of Kharkiv last year, he subsequently opposed any further lifting of the deployment restrictions, unlike key allies such as Great Britain and France.

Klingbeil: "There is no new agreement"

For the first time, Merz is clearly distancing himself from his predecessor's Ukraine policy. The trigger for this was apparently the unsuccessful efforts to secure a ceasefire in the Ukraine war and the massive Russian airstrikes on Ukraine over the weekend. Putin evidently sees offers of talks as a sign of weakness, Merz said. "No one can seriously accuse us of not having exhausted all available diplomatic means anymore."

The extent to which Merz coordinated his statements with his coalition partner remained unclear at first. Vice Chancellor Lars Klingbeil (SPD) contradicted the impression that there was a change of course. "As far as the scope is concerned, I would like to say that there is no new agreement that goes beyond what the previous government has done," he said when asked at a press conference in Berlin.

Kremlin spokesman: "Quite dangerous decisions"

The Kremlin also reacted to Merz's statement. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said these were "quite dangerous decisions, if they were made."

Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul immediately rejected the criticism from Moscow. "There have been several requests and opportunities for the Russian president to come to the negotiating table, and he has turned them down," the CDU politician said during a visit to Lisbon. "We have always made it clear that this behavior will not go without consequences."

German weapons do not reach further than 85 kilometers

Operationally, Merz's announcement will initially have little impact, as Germany has supplied the Ukrainian armed forces with hardly any weapons capable of striking Russian positions and supply lines far behind the front line. The Mars II rocket launcher, with a range of approximately 85 kilometers, and the Panzerhaubitze 2000, with a range of approximately 35 kilometers, are the only two weapons systems.

Berlin has not yet delivered the Taurus cruise missile, which has a range of 500 kilometers and could even reach Moscow. However, the US, France, and Great Britain have provided the Ukrainian armed forces with missiles, some with a range of more than 250 kilometers, which, according to media reports, have already been used against Russian territory.