Kremlin slams Europe's decision to lift missile range limits for Kiev

The decision of several European countries to remove range restrictions on missiles supplied to Ukraine is "dangerous," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday.

Peskov said that if such decisions were actually made, "they absolutely run counter to our aspirations to reach a political settlement and the efforts currently being made within the framework of the settlement."

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced Monday that Germany and its allies have lifted restrictions on the range of weapons supplied to Ukraine.

There are no longer range restrictions for such weapons, "neither from Britain, France, nor from us. Not from the United States either," Merz said at the WDR Europaforum in Berlin, adding that this would allow Ukraine to defend itself by attacking military facilities within Russia.

Russia and Ukraine held their first direct peace talks in Istanbul on May 16 but failed to reach a ceasefire agreement. Since then, no further direct negotiations have been scheduled, although Russian President Vladimir Putin said last week that Moscow would "propose and is ready to work with" Ukraine on a "memorandum" outlining the framework for "a possible future peace treaty."

Putin said that Moscow and Kiev must find compromises acceptable to both sides.

(With input from Xinhua)