ISTANBUL 

Russia on Tuesday said recent remarks by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz regarding the lifting of restrictions on the range of weapons supplied to Ukraine are “extremely dangerous” and risk undermining the fragile peace process, according to Russian news agency TASS.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Merz “has confused everyone, if not himself,” after the German government denied such decisions had been made. He warned that if Berlin indeed authorized strikes deep into Russia, it would amount to a serious escalation.

“If this is really so, then this is an extremely dangerous decision. It is literally several steps towards additional confrontation,” he said. “And all this is in the most decisive dissonance with the peace efforts that are beginning and are still in a very fragile state.”

The Kremlin official added that attempts to create uncertainty for Russia would backfire on Europe itself. “Let’s see if they can bear this burden,” he remarked.

Merz had claimed that Germany was lifting restrictions on the range of Ukrainian strikes using German weapons, saying similar moves were made by Britain and France.

Germany’s government previously denied authorizing such attacks, leading to confusion over Merz’s statements.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova also reacted to Merz’s remarks on Monday, saying Berlin will only “drive itself deeper into the hole in which the Kyiv regime it supports has long been.”

“It is doubtful that the head of the German government was or is authorized by anyone to make such statements on behalf of other countries. After all, he said that this decision was made by France, Great Britain, and the US,” Zakharova further said.

She additionally accused Merz of "playing with the fate of Europe, at the very least," as well as engaging in "self-promotion."