The German government is in talks with arms manufacturer MBDA to supply Ukraine with Taurus cruise missiles, a security source told Reuters on Friday.

Spiegel magazine also published the information, and a senior Ukrainian official said on Monday that key parliamentary factions in the German Bundestag had “reached a consensus” on the supply of Taurus missiles to Ukraine.

Kyiv has pressured Berlin to supply it with the Taurus, a missile with a range of more than 500 km that is launched by fighter jets such as the Tornado, F-15 or F-18.

Cruise missiles are difficult to detect by air defense radars because they fly at low altitudes. They are mainly used to hit important targets behind enemy lines, such as command bunkers, ammunition and fuel depots, airfields and bridges.

Scholz really wants to modify these rockets

While Britain and France have supplied Storm Shadow and Scalp cruise missiles to Ukraine, Berlin has been reluctant to follow suit due to concerns about the weapon’s long range and potential use against targets in Russia. So far, the US has also refrained from sending ATACMS to Ukraine, despite Kyiv’s request.

From a technical point of view, according to experts, it is very easy to limit the flight range of the Taurus cruise missile.

Discussions between the German government and MBDA are focused on such a modification, as Chancellor Olaf Scholz wants to prevent any Ukrainian attack on Russian territory with this weapon at all costs, Spiegel reports.

In June, the Kremlin warned France and Germany that the delivery of cruise missiles to Kyiv would lead to a new spiral of “escalating tensions” in the conflict in Ukraine.

Russia has used long-range missiles to destroy targets in Ukraine, including civilian infrastructure, and Ukraine has no easy way to strike back.

The German military has about 600 Taurus missiles in stock, of which, according to the media, about 150 are ready for use. Spain and South Korea also have Taurus missiles.