German chancellor Friedrich Merz says Berlin will help Ukraine produce long-range missiles, as Russia’s intensifying air and ground attacks drive Europe to ratchet up pressure on the Kremlin.

Speaking during Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s visit to Berlin on Wednesday, Merz said the two countries would set up “joint projects” to produce long-range weapons able to strike military targets in Russia and Russian-controlled territory of Ukraine.

The initiative appears to fall short of Merz’s earlier commitment to delivering German Taurus long-range missiles, a move that his coalition partners, the Social Democrats, have opposed. But it deepens Germany’s involvement in Ukraine’s defence industry, with potential production facilities, funding, technology and staff transfers.