Germany’s decision on whether to deliver Taurus long-range missiles to Ukraine could be made in one or two weeks, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said on Friday.
Germany’s decision on whether to supply long-range missiles “Taurus” to Ukraine could be made in one or two weeks, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said on Friday.
Kyiv has long been pushing Germany to provide it with Taurus missiles, which can hit targets 500 kilometers away, saying they are needed to strike Russian positions and improve the chances of a counter-attack.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz has not yet responded to these requests, as concerns remain among Western allies that Russian territory may also be fired with these missiles.
“If it takes a week or two now to make a decision, then that’s it,” Pistorius told a conference in Munster.
This is not Berlin’s reluctance, but the federal government must evaluate the consequences of such a step, explained the minister.
“Germany has to show a certain level of caution, even if it is difficult for our Ukrainian friends to understand,” Pistorius said.
He described the “Taurus” missiles as “a highly complex industrial product”.
“We’re not talking about programming a coffee machine here,” he added.
Germany has “about 500” such missiles, and about half need repairs, software updates, the minister said.
Soon after Pistorius’ announcement, the government in Berlin stressed that a decision would not be made in the coming days.
“There is no change in this matter,” said government spokesman Steffen Heberstreit.
Leave a Comment