Putin sends warning to Germany over Ukraine supplies: ‘Serious damage’

Vladimir Putin has warned Germany against supplying Ukraine with missiles, stating that it would do “serious damage” to the two nations’ relationship. Speaking to reporters in St Petersburg on Thursday (19 June), the Russian president said he would consider the deployment of Taurus cruise missiles to Kyiv as a sign that Berlin is directly involved in the war. He said: "What is this, if not the involvement of the Federal Republic in a direct armed conflict with the Russian Federation? It can't be called anything else.” German defence minister Boris Pistorius said earlier this month that Berlin is not going to be giving weapons to Ukraine, despite Kyiv’s repeated requests. Putin also said that he is willing to speak with German chancellor Friedrich Merz, stating: “We are always open to this.”