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Berlin under pressure: Give Taurus missiles to the Ukrainian army

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz rejects the idea because he fears that Germany could be drawn into the war if it supplies Kiev with such missiles, which have a range of 500 km

Apr 28, 2024 20:10 117

Berlin under pressure: Give Taurus missiles to the Ukrainian army  - 1

Polish foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski hopes that German Prime Minister Olaf Scholz will change his mind and Berlin will supply Ukraine with Taurus cruise missiles after the US decided to supply Kiev with long-range missiles, reports Bild.

"I hope the chancellor will feel encouraged by the events of the last few days," Sikorski said in an interview with the Sunday edition of the German media. He described the delivery of US ATACMS missiles to Ukraine as a "reaction to Russian escalation" - an escalation to which Germany must also respond.

The US hopes that its recent decision to send long-range missiles to Ukraine will encourage Germany to do the same. The US, France and the UK previously supplied Ukraine with long-range Scalp and Storm Shadow missiles, which can reach around 250 km.

"Regarding the Taurus ... that is a decision for Germany to make," a senior US defense official said on Thursday, speaking on condition of anonymity, when asked about a possible supply of long-range Taurus missiles from Germany.

"But of course with the US delivery of the ATACMS, as well as the UK and France's previous decisions to deliver long-range missiles, we hope that will play a role," he said.

Ukraine has been asking Germany for months to supply it with Taurus cruise missiles, which can reach up to 500km, to counter a Russian offensive. So far, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has rejected the idea of supplying Ukraine with Taurus cruise missiles. He fears that Germany could be drawn into the war if it supplies Kiev with such missiles, which have a range of 500 km.