On Thursday, the German Defense Minister renewed his reservations about supplying kyiv with cruise missiles to counter Russian forces. With this decision, Germany refuses to follow in the footsteps of the United Kingdom and France, which have delivered Scalp and Storm Shadow missiles to Ukraine, both with a range of several hundred kilometers .
Boris Pistorius, during a visit to an alpine fighter brigade in Bavaria, said the decision on Taurus missiles, with a range of over 500 km, was not a priority. He stressed that the German objections were obvious, as this armament would allow Ukrainian forces to strike well beyond the front line in eastern Ukraine.
Moreover, the United States does not supply this type of missile either, he added. The German Defense Ministry told AFP at the end of May that it had received an official request from kyiv for deliveries of Taurus, transported by hunters and manufactured by the German-Swedish company of the same name. The Bundeswehr would have around 600 units, 150 of which are operational, according to Liberal MP Marcus Faber, a member of the Bundestag Defense Committee.
But the Chancellor’s party fears an escalation of the conflict with Russia if this type of weaponry is made available to Ukraine. Germany also remains opposed to supporting Ukrainian aviation, for example by helping to deliver F-16 fighters.
However, this country has significantly increased its arms supplies to kyiv in recent months, delivering in particular, after much procrastination, Leopard-type tanks. Berlin is “leading in the area of ??air defense, training support, and exploration and armored vehicles,” Pistorius said, and “this is our highest priority.”
