According to the sources, high-ranking British ministers and officials have repeatedly explained to Germany that Ukraine desperately needs Taurus missiles.
London offered solutions to deal with Berlin’s resistance to sending them, including a swap deal in which Britain would supply Kyiv with more of its Storm Shadow missiles, while Germany would then replenish the UK’s stockpile of long-range missiles.
“Germany needs to stop making excuses,” said one British official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Last year, Ukraine repeatedly called on Germany to start transferring Taurus long-range missiles. This was done once morest the background of the fact that the United Kingdom and France began supplying Ukraine with long-range missiles “Storm Shadow” or otherwise known as “SCALP”.
The main obstacle on the Taurus issue for Ukraine was the position of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. He worries that such weapons might be used to strike Russian territory.
The chancellor also said that if the Taurus was handed over, the German military would have to take part in guiding the missiles, which might mean Germany’s direct involvement in the war.
“A cruise missile with a range of 500 kilometers is a weapon that, if used incorrectly, can reach a specific target somewhere in Moscow,” Scholz said, as quoted by the German publication Tagesschau.
General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine/Telegram/War in Ukraine
He added that Britain and France, which have already supplied Ukraine with long-range missiles, “made sure they knew who was landing and where.” According to the chancellor, the deployment of such missiles in Ukraine would require the participation of Germany and “there can be no question regarding that”.
The chancellor admitted he was annoyed by Berlin’s “criticism” of his refusal to supply Ukraine’s defenders with Taurus missiles, as Germany supplies Ukraine with far more weapons than almost any other country.
He emphasized that if the United States Congress does not allocate new funds to help Ukraine, some countries will have to make more efforts in this matter.
Members of the German parliament have repeatedly called on O. Scholz to supply the Ukrainian army with Taurus missiles. Bundestag member Roderich Kiesewetter said the chancellor might not make such a decision alone and needed a green light from the United States.
The European Parliament also called on the allies to provide Ukraine with everything it needs to win the war started by Russia.
Earlier, the German chancellor once once more refused to provide missiles to Ukraine, saying that “German soldiers cannot follow their British and French counterparts in the way they control and escort targets.”
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2024-04-20 19:53:34
