Trump Realises Putin ‘Lied’ About Peace Deal With Ukraine – Macron

• Wants US President’s new rhetoric to ‘translate into action’

French President Emmanuel Macron thinks his United States counterpart, President Donald Trump is suddenly realising that President Vladimir Putin of Russia had lied to him about his intentions for peace in the Ukraine war.

Macron, who is on a diplomatic trip to Vietnam, said Russia’s continuing attacks on Ukraine should now convince Trump about aspects of Putin’s lies regarding Ukraine, and as such his anger at Putin should “translate into action”, presumably meaning sanctions, along with the European Union (EU).

The French President remarks coincides with confirmation by the Germany’s Chancellor Friedrich Merz that Western countries allied to Ukraine are no longer imposing range limits on arms delivered to Kyiv.

According to agencies’ reports, Merz disclosed that Ukraine is now in possession of long-range fire to target military infrastructure in Russia.

“There are no longer any restrictions on the range of weapons delivered to Ukraine, neither by the UK, France, nor us. There are no restrictions by the US either,” Merz was quoted by the Kyiv Independent as having said during a discussion forum organized by the WDR channel.

Merz, who has promised to back Ukraine to tackle Russian aggression further stated, “This means that Ukraine can now defend itself, for example, by attacking military positions in Russia. Until recently, it couldn’t do that, and apart from very few exceptions, it hadn’t done so either.”

Last April, Ukraine used longer-range ballistic missiles called Army Tactical Missile System (Atcams), supplied by Joe Biden administration, for the first time after Washington gave the green light to do so.

There had been hesitation to approve such use amid fears of an escalation of the conflict. Ukraine has previously received long-range missiles from Washington, London and Paris but Kyiv was initially only allowed to use them against Russian military targets in occupied Ukrainian territories.

This is as the Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy has reportedly scheduled a visit to Berlin on Wednesday, where he will meet with Merz and German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier.

Giving Ukraine Long-range Missiles ‘A Dangerous Move’ – Kremlin Warns
But responding to German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s comments on Ukraine’s military capabilities, the Kremlin cautioned that European countries lifting any restrictions on capabilities for Ukraine would be a dangerous move

Reuters quoted Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying such a decision would run counter to aspirations for a political settlement to the crisis.

The latest development comes on the heels of Moscow launching its third consecutive night of massive drone strikes against Ukraine overnight into Monday, with Russia firing a record 355 Shahed drones as well as nine cruise missiles.

Reports indicated that Moscow defended its latest drone and missile attacks on Ukraine as a reaction to Kyiv’s attacks on Russian infrastructure and military targets.

Russia’s attack came despite President Trump’s warning on Sunday night that if President Putin attempts to conquer all of Ukraine it will lead to the “downfall” of Russia.

In the same post, the US President said Putin was “absolutely CRAZY” after a weekend of deadly Russian drone and missile strikes on Ukraine.

In a toughening up of his language, which puts him more in line with the EU’s position, President Trump said the US was seriously considering imposing “more sanctions on Russia” following the attacks.

Meanwhile, the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has canvassed that the increase in Russian strikes should be met with “increased sanctions”.

He also said Moscow’s dismissal of the US-proposed 30 day ceasefire should lead to a “freeze on Russian finances and a halt to its oil trade.” – With The Guardian report