German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is currently opposed to the delivery of Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine, despite repeated requests from leaders in Kyiv, government sources confirmed to dpa on Thursday, Agerpres notes.
According to the cited sources, Scholz is ready to revisit this topic later, but for now he will not agree to arming the Ukrainians with these German cruise missiles.
Instead, Berlin plans to continue to focus on the supply of artillery and air defense systems, sources told dpa.
Bild newspaper wrote on Wednesday that Germany has already informed Ukraine about 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 were needed to strike Russian positions beyond the range of conventional artillery.
But the Taurus missiles’ 500km range is a concern in Berlin, where some officials fear Ukraine could use them to strike targets inside Russia.
Germany predicted that the missiles would be used to strike the Kerch Bridge
Scholz has repeatedly expressed skepticism about the delivery of Taurus missiles to Ukraine.
At the same time, the leaders of the Greens and Free Democrats (FDP), junior allies of the chancellor in the ruling coalition, spoke in favor of sending Taurus missiles to Ukraine.
According to a Reuters report, Bild wrote on Wednesday that Germany currently has no plans to supply Kyiv with Taurus missiles 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 said.
According to the daily, in an internal meeting last week, Chancellor Scholz told the Bundestag’s foreign affairs committee that Taurus missiles could not be compared to France’s SCALP and Britain’s Storm Shadow cruise missiles, as those countries directly provide geodata on targets and participate in them. own staff.
Bild also wrote that British government officials have been trying to convince Germany to send Taurus missiles to Ukraine in recent weeks.
Last month, Berlin announced a new 400 million euro aid package for Kyiv, which includes ammunition, protective vehicles and demining systems.
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Source: Hot News
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