Politicians, diplomats call on Berlin to send Ukraine Taurus missiles

Voices in both the German government and opposition speak up in support for increasing military aid to Kyiv, including by sending long-range missiles, while the authorities are delaying the decision due to certain "fears".

The opinion of some politicians was shared by WELT AM SONNTAG, Ukrinform reports.

"Germany must immediately provide more Leopard 2 tanks, mine clearance and anti-aircraft systems, as well as ammunition and Taurus cruise missiles," said Roderich Kiesewetter, a Bundestag member with the main opposition party, CDU.

It should be recalled that the politician touched on the issue in a recent comment to Ukrinform.

According to Kiesewetter, the Bundeswehr has 600 Taurus systems, of which about 450 are not operational but could be upgraded for export to Ukraine. At the same time, there is a lack of political will to this end, he added. Kiesewetter, a former military officer, considers it a "deliberate delaying tactic," particularly because of the reluctance that the German government has toward the idea of Ukraine liberating Crimea.

"The delay (in the supply of weapons) has the effect of prolonging (the war) and may lead to the war spreading to other countries, such as Moldova, Romania, the Baltic States or Poland," Kiesewetter warns.

Markus Faber, a politician with the Liberal Party, which is part of the ruling coalition, is also in favor of providing Ukraine with Taurus cruise missiles. The success of the cruise missiles already delivered by Great Britain shows how important these weapons are on the battlefield, he noted.

The Ambassador of Ukraine to Germany, Oleksiy Makeiev, in turn, also called on the federal government to reconsider its attitude toward the supply of modern cruise missiles to Ukraine because such weapons “save lives.”

The publication notes that the firm "No" in the Taurus debate is due to three factors: mistrust of Kyiv (part of the federal government still has some suspicion about the military motives of the leadership in Kyiv and the presumption that the missiles would be used against targets in Russia), fear of angering Moscow and the latter’s subsequent reaction, as well as the position of the United States, which has so far refused to provide ATACMS.

Since the beginning of summer, Ukraine has been voicing pleas to get Germany’s long-range Taurus cruise missiles. These are guided missiles with a range of up to 500 kilometers. It is claimed that the Taurus warhead is capable of destroying even bunker systems.