United to win: Great Britain offers aid to Germany for supply of Taurus missiles to Ukraine
Photo: AP
British Foreign Minister David Cameron offered Germany help in providing Taurus missiles for Ukraine.
The German publication Zeit reported that.
Cameron noted that Great Britain is determined to work closely with German partners on this and all other issues to help Ukraine. He added that he is ready to consider all possible options to "maximize the effect for Ukraine."
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 the Armed Forces serve "the defense of Ukraine," the British minister emphasized.
"It is absolutely possible to put 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 disclose any details.
Earlier, Bloomberg wrote about this option with reference to sources in the British government. It noted that Berlin's position on the Taurus missiles "causes irritation" in London.
It should be noted that 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.
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.
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.
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 rocket is effective 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.
