Scholz reiterates opposition to supplying Taurus missiles to Ukraine

Chancellor of Germany Olaf Scholz once again opposed the supply of long-range Taurus missiles to Ukraine. In particular, in his opinion, if the country supplies this weapon to Ukraine's armed forces, there is a risk that it could involve Germany in a war with Russia.

RND writes about this, referring to Olaf Scholz's statement.

"We should in no way be tied to the goals that this system (Taurus missiles – ed.) achieves. Therefore, this (supply of these missiles – ed.) is not the next option on the agenda. This clarity is also necessary. Surprisingly, some people don't care at all; they don't even think about whether what we're doing could, in some sense, lead to war," the German chancellor said.

He added that Taurus missiles are very long-range weapons, and "what the British and French are doing in terms of target control and accompanying control over them cannot be done in Germany."

"Everyone who has dealt with this system knows this," he said, noting that he is surprised when he is constantly asked "such questions."

Scholz also said he is "very annoyed by the lack of balance between what Ukraine really needs right now and the discussion about Taurus."

"What Ukraine lacks is ammunition for all possible ranges and distances, but not fundamentally this (Taurus — ed.) from Germany," he said.

On February 22, German MPs supported the draft resolution with the demand to provide long-range Taurus missiles to Ukraine by a majority of votes.

On May 27, 2023, Ukraine addressed Germany with an official request, asking it to provide it with Taurus long-range cruise missiles.

In November, the manufacturing company MBDA, which owns Taurus Systems, stated that it could increase the production of Taurus missiles in the shortest possible time and integrate new technical achievements into them at random.

However, German MPs did not support the opposition's proposal to demand that the government transfer Taurus strategic missiles to Ukraine.

For reference:

This aviation subsonic cruise missile is designed for high-precision hitting of targets.

Taurus is a German analog of the British Storm Shadow missiles, which Ukraine's armed forces have successfully used. 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.

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

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.