Germany is repeating historic mistakes by becoming involved in the Ukraine conflict, a trajectory that could lead to its collapse, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has warned.

Lavrov made the remarks on Wednesday in an interview with journalist Pavel Zarubin, responding to recent comments by Berlin. Earlier in the day, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz pledged to help Ukraine produce long-range weapons that Kiev could use to strike targets beyond the territory it claims.

Berlin’s “direct involvement in the war is now obvious,” Lavrov said. “Germany is sliding down the same slippery slope it already followed a couple of times in the last century – down toward its own collapse,” he added.

The Russian diplomat expressed hope that “responsible politicians” in Germany would “ultimately draw the right conclusions and put a stop to this madness.” 

Speaking alongside Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky in Berlin, Merz announced what he described as “a new form of military-industrial cooperation” with Kiev, saying the two sides “want to ensure joint production” of long-range weapons, though he declined to share details.

Earlier this week, Merz said there are “no longer any range restrictions” on weapons supplied to Ukraine by the UK, France, Germany, and the US, noting later that the limits were lifted “several months ago.” 

Moscow has repeatedly warned that supplying long-range arms would make Germany a direct party to the conflict.

German Vice Chancellor and Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil claimed no new decisions had been made on the permissible range of Ukrainian strikes using German weapons beyond what was set by the previous government.

Ralf Stegner, a member of the the SPD, Merz’s coalition partner, called the comments “unhelpful” and called for a stronger focus on diplomacy.

Moscow has consistently condemned Western arms deliveries to Ukraine, arguing they fuel more bloodshed and obstruct peace efforts. The Kremlin warned that the latest “provocative actions” by EU states could further hinder diplomacy.