Germany insists it will not send the powerful Taurus missiles demanded by Kiev to Ukraine. The last call was made this Monday by the Foreign Minister of Ukraine, Dimitro Kuleba, who insisted that Berlin release these projectiles, a measure blocked by the German Bundestag last week. The Chancellor Olaf Scholz has officially declared for the first time that the Taurus transfer is taking place could lead Germany into open war against Russia. A hypothesis refuted by the Ukrainian Foreign Minister, who said this Monday that the fear of an escalation of the conflict was “unfounded,” as evidenced by the transmission of the letter Leopard tank to the front without Moscow opening a direct confrontation with Berlin.
During the international conference on Ukraine Scholz emphasized that if Taurus cruise missiles were deployed in Ukraine Soldiers of the Bundeswehr – the armed forces– They would have to be on Ukrainian soil, which would increase the risk of a direct clash with Moscow. Kiev, in turn, claims that these missiles were fired against military targets far behind the front lines in occupied Ukraine.
The Taurus is one of the Bundeswehr’s most modern rockets. This precision weapon can hit targets up to 500 kilometers away and is designed to penetrate dense air defenses by flying at very low altitudes and close to the ground. Moscow lies within this radius of the Russian-Ukrainian border. Manufactured by Taurus GMBH, it can fly completely autonomously after take-off from the aircraft, controlled by its triple navigation system.
The Response from the Ukrainian Foreign Minister to Scholz’s refusal was categorical: “I think that this fear disappeared after the first delivery of the Leopard tanks. Since then, the escalation argument has no longer been an option,” said Kuleba, rejecting the statement put forward by the Bundestag last week in a statement. Interview for the editorial network Germany (RND): “I want everyone to know that we need these weapons,” Kuleba emphasized, avoiding criticizing Germany for this latest decision, as it is the second country after the United States that contributes the most to rearmament the Ukrainian army.
“It’s hard to complain when Germany supplies us with so many weapons”, the Foreign Minister admitted. However, the criticism is directed at Kiev’s other Western partners, who are criticized for the slowness with which they make some of their decisions regarding Ukraine. “I protest against the lack of ammunition at every meeting with our partners. Everyone recognizes and admits that they have made mistakes. They decided to increase their own production too late (…) Unfortunately, we now have to pay for these mistakes,” Kuleba complained.
The Ukrainian authorities have already admitted this This lack of ammunition was the reason for the withdrawal on such important fronts as Avdiivka. Given this situation, Kuleba has proposed banning the export of projectiles to third countries outside the European continent. “All this ammunition must be sent to Ukraine. Every cartridge made in Europe should be used to defend Europe,” he said.
Germany says “No”
Chancellor Scholz showed himself this Monday”He said he was “very irritated” by the insistence on delivering Taurus missiles, an issue that could well endanger Germany’s security. “I’m surprised that some people don’t even notice this, that they don’t even think about whether what we’re doing could lead to us taking part in a war,” warned Scholz, according to the DPA news agency.
“It is a powerful weapon” reminded the Chancellor, who explained that Germany, unlike France and the United Kingdom, cannot carry out the same surveillance and control of targets. “Anyone who has dealt with this system knows this,” he said.
In Germany, the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) is also calling for the Taurus rockets to be delivered. The Chancellor’s coalition partners, The Greens and the liberal FDP are also in favor. However, a Bundestag resolution calling for the Taurus to be extradited failed last week.
Scholz had already decided in October not to send Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine for the time being He never publicly explained the reasons in detail. The French and British are trying to prevent a Russian victory and have agreed to supply the Scalp and Storm Shadow cruise missiles to Ukraine. The UK is believed to have stationed personnel in Ukraine for this purpose, although this has never been officially confirmed.