Bundestag: Scholz is the only person blocking supply of Taurus missiles to Ukraine

The Chair of the Bundestag's defense committee, Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmerman, said that Chancellor Olaf Scholz is the only one in the coalition who blocks the supply of Taurus — long-range German-Swedish air-to-surface cruise missiles to Ukraine, Rubryka reports.

"'At the moment,' he does not want to supply the Taurus. But 'at the moment,' people continue to die in Ukraine. Chancellor Scholz, in the name of God. He is the only one blocking this decision within the coalition. It is irresponsible," she emphasized.

Taurus rockets

This aviation subsonic cruise missile is designed for high-precision striking of targets. Taurus is the German analog of the British Storm Shadow missiles, which are already successfully used by the Ukrainian forces. The Taurus cruise missile is launched from a fighter jet and can deliver a 400-kilogram warhead over 500 kilometers. The missile is considered an effective weapon against protected targets such as command bunkers or ammunition depots.

Germany ordered 600 Taurus missiles for its air force in the early 2000s. However, according to German media, the Bundeswehr currently has only 150 combat-ready Tauruses. 

The Militarnyi reports that the Taurus cruise missiles, together with the Franco-British Storm Shadow, which Ukraine already uses, will allow striking Russian military infrastructure in the occupied territory at long distances.

Ukraine continues to put pressure on the German government regarding the supply of missiles. Minister of Foreign Affairs Dmytro Kuleba said that Ukraine needs them to save more lives of Ukrainian soldiers and civilians and to speed up the liberation of the territories.

According to Kuleba, with this weapon, Ukraine could reach Russian troops on Ukrainian territory far beyond the front line, disrupt their logistics, and destroy command centers and ammunition depots.

At the same time, Kuleba called Berlin's concerns that German missiles could be used to attack targets inside Russia "groundless." He emphasized that no previous decision by Germany to supply Ukraine with a new type of weapon did not lead to escalation, but on the contrary, saved many Ukrainian lives.

On May 27, Ukraine turned to Germany with an official request to provide it with Taurus long-range cruise missiles. President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky spoke on this topic with Chancellor of Germany Olaf Scholz.

As Rubryka previously reported, German politicians are gradually changing their point of view regarding the transfer of long-range Taurus missiles to Ukraine. Some representatives of the Social Democratic Party of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz have changed their minds about the supply of Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine.