German Foreign Minister Annalena Burbock indirectly spoke in favor of the country’s government making a decision on the supply of long-range Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine.
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Over the past year and a half, we have seen not just clearly, but in the most cruel way, that every day counts,” the head of the Foreign Ministry said at a press conference in Berlin, answering the question whether she would insist on an early decision on the supply of missiles.
She also welcomed the decision of the Netherlands and Denmark to supply Ukraine with F-16 fighter jets and called it a good day for Ukraine and Europe.
Meanwhile, the German government does not believe that after the announcement of the supply of F-16s, pressure on Berlin regarding Taurus missiles increased, DW reports, citing cabinet spokesman Steffen Hebeshtreit.
When asked by journalists about possible plans to announce a decision on supplies before or at a government meeting next week, Hebestrait replied that he did not have such information.
According to him, there are no changes in the position of Germany in relation to Taurus yet.
These missiles are capable of reaching speeds of 800-900 km / h and hit targets at a distance of up to 500 km. Taurus are suitable for attacking bunkers, airfields, bridges, capable of carrying 480 kg of explosives, have a MEPHISTO concrete-piercing warhead that penetrates several meters of reinforced concrete, and the explosion occurs on a programmed floor. The Taurus missile is similar to the Storm Shadow and SCALP-EG that our Air Force already uses.
Background
The discussion about the Tauruses in Germany escalated in August. A number of German politicians, both from coalition and opposition parties, including the Social Democrats represented by Scholz, advocated for their transfer to Kyiv.
Spiegel even wrote that Germany is studying the technical limitations of Taurus cruise missiles before they are delivered to Ukraine, and the government is “considering the issue of supplying missiles, but has not made a formal decision.”
For the first time, Taurus for Ukraine was discussed in May. The Frankfurter Allgemeine then reported that President Volodymyr Zelensky personally sent a letter to Chancellor Scholz about the missiles. Oleksiy Makeyev, Ukrainian Ambassador to Germany, also asked about them.
Majorities in the Christian Democratic Union, the Free Democrats (Free Democratic Party), and the Greens supported the proposal. Chancellor and Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, also a representative of the Social Democratic Party of Germany, are still in thought. And this, despite his bright pro-Ukrainian.
Last week, people’s deputy Yegor Chernev wrote about the consent of the German deputies on Facebook. True, many media interpreted his post in their own way. Like, it’s done – wait for the missiles. In fact, so far we are only talking about a consensus among the factions of the Bundestag.
Chernev explained that the discussions continued for several months and the Ukrainians managed to unite the parties of the Bundestag, except for the Alternative for Germany, which opposed the transfer of any weapons to Ukraine.
Now the decision is up to the government of Germany, and here one should take into account the fact that Germany is a parliamentary republic. It is the Bundestag that forms the government and appoints the chancellor,” said Chernev, an optimist for the speedy transfer of the Taurus to Ukraine.
Source: Racurs
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.