Germany is still undecided on the topic of supplying Ukraine with Taurus cruise missiles and doubts that these missiles can radically change the situation at the frontline against Russian invading troops.
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius stated this at the NATO Talk conference in Berlin on November 6.
“I don’t think missiles will change the rules of the game,” Pistorius said.
German minister confirmed that he had nothing new to say about the transfer of these weapons to Ukraine and reiterated that Germany should not ignore its interests when assisting Ukraine without specifying what he meant.
The minister also noted that the German government has to check every step in the supply of weapons systems, and decisions are not easy.
“The ATACMS that the United States has given us have a range of 160 km, while Taurus has a range of 500 km, which is a completely different system,” Pistorius emphasized.
Nevertheless, the long-range ATACMS missiles provided by the United States immediately proved their effectiveness, as the Ukrainian military hit strategic Russian military targets – a strategic airfield with aircraft and a shipyard with a Russian Kalibr missile carrier ship.
Kyiv insists that the Taurus missiles will allow it to destroy Russian military targets on the occupied territories even further behind the front line.
At the same time, Pistorius reminded that Germany is currently the second largest supplier of weapons to Ukraine after the United States, and German weapons help save lives and protect infrastructure in Ukraine every day.
On November 3, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said that Ukraine still expects to receive long-range Taurus missiles from Germany.
Recently, German Ambassador to Ukraine Martin Jaeger said in an interview with the EP that the government in Berlin will not supply Kyiv with long-range Taurus missiles at this time.
On October 5, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz explained that Germany has yet to decide to supply Ukraine with long-range Taurus missiles as it is trying to prevent an escalation of the war.
German media Bild reported that the German chancellor is concerned that for Ukraine to use Taurus missiles, Berlin must provide geodata on Russian targets. Thus, according to the chancellor, Germany will be forced to take a more active part in the war.
