German opposition rejects Taurus missile exchange with Britain
Photo: AP
The German opposition in the Bundestag does not support Great Britain's proposal to exchange Taurus missiles for British Storm Shadow missiles to provide Ukraine with long-range weapons.
DW reports this.
The deputy head of the CDU/CSU faction, Johann Wadephul, said that everything must be done to prevent the defeat of Ukraine, which includes the supply of "the best weapons systems, and Taurus is just such a system."
"No circular exchange can replace it in terms of range, accuracy, and impact power," he said.
According to yesterday's reports, David Cameron, the head of the British Foreign Ministry, stated that the United Kingdom is prepared to assist Germany in resolving their conflicts and supply Ukraine with long-range Taurus missiles.
The British minister dismissed fears that the supply of cruise missiles could lead to an escalation. He emphasized that Britain trusts Ukrainian partners who keep their word and do not use the weapons provided to them in a way that the partners who transfer them do not want. The weapons provided to armed forces serve "the defense of Ukraine," the British minister emphasized.
"It is absolutely possible to set limits on the use of these weapons to ensure that they do not contribute to escalation in any way," said the head of the British Foreign Office.
David Cameron noted that if Germany does not want to transfer its missiles to Ukraine directly, London is ready to use the "ring exchange" – to transfer more Storm Shadow missiles to Kyiv and receive Taurus missiles from Germany in return.
"We are determined to work closely with our German partners in this, as in all other matters, to help Ukraine. We are ready to consider all options to achieve the maximum effect for Ukraine," Cameron said, adding that the parties would not divulge any details.
Earlier, Bloomberg wrote about this option with reference to sources in the British government. It was noted that Berlin's position on the Taurus missiles "causes irritation" in London.
On May 27 of last year, Ukraine addressed Germany with an official request, in which it asked to provide it with Taurus long-range cruise missiles.
For reference:
Britain and France earlier provided Ukraine with Storm Shadow and Scalp long-range missiles. It is also known that the USA handed Ukrainian soldiers missiles with a range of up to 165 kilometers. These are ATACMS long-range missiles.
Currently, there are discussions regarding the transfer of German Taurus missiles to Ukraine, which can destroy targets at a distance of up to 500 km. Berlin is still opposed, but Ukraine and its allies call on German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to make a corresponding decision.
