Berlin allowed a quick decision to transfer Taurus missiles to Kyiv
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Germany may decide to transfer Taurus long-range cruise missiles to Ukraine within one to two weeks, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius told reporters.
Answering the question why Berlin is “slow” in supplying these missiles to the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the minister emphasized that Germany needs guarantees that they will not be used on Russian territory.
“We – the Chancellor, myself and other members of the cabinet – took an oath to prevent harm to the German people <...>At the same time, we want to support Ukraine. And if another week or two passes before a decision is made, then so be it,” leads words of Pistorius TASS.
On August 11, Der Spiegel magazine reported that the German government is studying the possibility of supplying Taurus missiles to Ukraine in the coming months. According to the publication, Chancellor Olaf Scholz wants to technically limit the programming of missiles in order to exclude the possibility of Ukrainian Armed Forces strikes on Russian territory. The Russian Ambassador to Germany, Sergei Nechaev, said in turn that the supply of new weapons “only prolongs the conflict and increases the number of victims.”
The fact that Ukraine has requested from Germany the supply of Taurus missiles with a flight range of up to 500 km became known at the end of May. As the media wrote, Berlin purchased about 600 Taurus ten years ago, of which only 150 missiles can now operate. Initially, the German authorities opposed the supply of such missiles to the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
Earlier on September 12, Reuters reported that Washington was close to approval sending long-range missiles filled with cluster munitions to Ukraine. We are talking about ATACMS tactical missile systems with a range of up to 306 km and GMLRS-controlled MLRS with a range of up to 72 km.
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