TAURUS for Ukraine: the Minister answers when Germany will make a decision

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius has announced when a decision will be made on the transfer of long-range TAURUS cruise missiles to Ukraine.

According to him, the government’s decision on this issue will be made within one or two weeks.

These air-launched missiles will allow for long-range strikes on Russian military targets.

“If it takes a week or two for a decision to be made, that’s the way it will be,” Pistorius said at the first Westphalian Peace Conference in Munster.

The Minister added that this did not mean any hesitation on the part of the federal government.

“The Federal Republic of Germany must be cautious, even if it is difficult for our Ukrainian friends to understand. Germany must weigh the consequences of every step it takes,” he said.

The defense minister added that TAURUS cruise missiles could hit targets at longer ranges than any other weapon supplied to Ukraine so far, and they were “a very sophisticated industrial product.”

TAURUS for Ukraine

Yesterday, German media reported that members of the Bundestag had written a letter to Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Defense Minister Boris Pistorius demanding that Ukraine received TAURUS cruise missiles.

“In particular, Ukraine needs the Taurus cruise missiles in service with the Bundeswehr in order to purposefully weaken Russian military logistics,” the letter reads.

The German MPs emphasized that representatives of the Ukrainian government had assured them in personal conversations that the missiles would be used exclusively on the territory of Ukraine, and therefore they had no reason to doubt the promise.

In late May, Ukraine made an official request to Germany for TAURUS cruise missiles. Also, in early May, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz spoke about the supply of missiles. Prior to that, one of the most influential members of the Bundestag in the field of security and defense, Roderich Kiesewetter, spoke in favor of the missile delivery to the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

TAURUS cruise missiles, together with the Franco-British Storm Shadow/SCALP EG, which Ukraine is already using, will allow striking at Russian military infrastructure in the occupied territory at long distances.