Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday that German Chancellor Friedrich Merz's statements on funding the long-range weapons for Ukraine are a "provocation of war."

"This is nothing more than further provocation of war. This is nothing more than further attempts to force Ukrainians to continue fighting. And this is nothing more than obstruction of attempts to enter the trajectory of the peace process," Peskov told reporters, adding that Germany and France are competing for "primacy" regarding further provoking the conflict in Ukraine and hindering peace negotiations.

In a joint press conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Merz announced that his country will fund the Ukrainian production of long-range missiles and Starlink satellites, adding that the two countries are also considering jointly manufacturing Taurus missiles.