2024-02-22 05:23:46
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz continues to oppose the delivery of Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine despite growing pressure from his coalition, DPA reported, citing a government spokesman.
Tomorrow, parliamentary groups from the ruling coalition are expected to submit to the Bundestag, the lower house of the German parliament, a joint proposal for the supply of “additional, necessary long-range weapon systems and ammunition”.
The weapons should enable Ukraine “to carry out targeted attacks on strategically important targets located far behind the rear of the Russian aggressor,” the proposal says.
“Taurus” cruise missiles would fulfill these requirements, but they are not explicitly mentioned in the text, notes DPA, quoted by BTA.
The chancellor “fully” supports the proposal, German government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit said today. However, he did not mention the word “Taurus”, but said of Scholz that as far as “the delivery of a special weapons system is concerned, he sticks to his position”.
In May, Ukraine officially requested from the German government Taurus cruise missiles, which can hit targets with high accuracy at a distance of up to 500 kilometers.
Scholz has blocked their delivery to Ukraine, reportedly due to concerns that the weapon’s high capabilities could be used by Ukrainian forces to strike sensitive Russian targets and escalate tensions between Germany and Russia . At the beginning of October, the German chancellor decided not to send the weapons to Kiev, DPA recalls.