German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is currently opposed to the delivery of Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine, despite the repeated requests of the leaders in Kiev, government sources confirmed for the dpa agency on Thursday, notes Agerpres.
Fighter jet launching a Taurus long-range missilePhoto: Handout / AFP / Profimedia
According to the cited sources, Scholz is open to reconsidering the subject at a later date, but, for now, he will not give his consent to equipping the Ukrainians with these German cruise missiles.
Instead, Berlin plans to continue to focus on deliveries of artillery and air defense systems, the sources told dpa.
Bild daily wrote on Wednesday that Germany has already informed Ukraine of its decision.
Britain and France have already provided Ukraine with their own cruise missiles with similar range and capabilities, Storm Shadow and SCALP, respectively.
Ukraine began publicly asking Germany for Taurus missiles in May, saying they are needed to hit Russian positions beyond the range of traditional artillery.
But the Taurus missiles’ 500 km range is causing concern in Berlin, where some officials fear Ukraine could use them to strike targets on Russian soil.
Germany pre-empted that the missiles would be used to hit the Kerchi Bridge
Scholz has repeatedly expressed his skepticism towards the delivery of Taurus missiles to Ukraine.
Leaders of the Greens and Free Democrats (FDP), the chancellor’s junior allies in the governing coalition, however, spoke in favor of sending Taurus missiles to Ukraine.
According to a Reuters news report, Bild wrote on Wednesday that Germany currently has no plans to supply Taurus missiles to Kiev because they are not comparable to the missiles provided by France and Britain.
Berlin is also concerned that the missiles could be used to target the Kerch bridge, which connects Russia to the Crimean peninsula, annexed in 2014, Bild noted.
According to the daily, in an internal meeting last week, Chancellor Scholz told the Bundestag’s foreign affairs committee that the Taurus missiles are not comparable to the French SCALP and British Storm Shadow cruise missiles, because these countries directly contribute geodata about targets and are involved with their own staff.
Bild also wrote that British government officials have been trying in recent weeks to convince Germany to send Taurus missiles to Ukraine.
Last month, Berlin announced a new 400 million euro assistance package for Kiev, which includes ammunition, protective vehicles and demining systems.
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