BERLIN: German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has once again said that he doesn’t rule out potential supplies of Taurus long-range cruise missil...
BERLIN: German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has once again said that he doesn’t rule out potential supplies of Taurus long-range cruise missiles to Ukraine.
"Naturally, this is quite possible," he said in an interview with the ZDF television channel.
At the same time, he noted that a long period of training will be needed before using these weapons. "We have always said and I have said this too that several months will be needed to train Ukrainian soldiers to handle Taurus systems," he said, adding that supplies of Taurus in six months or a year "will be on ho help to Ukraine today," whereas Germany wants to provide military assistance right now.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on May 26 that Berlin was lifting restrictions on the range of weapons supplied to Kiev. Merz pointed out that the United Kingdom and France had made similar decisions. Speaking at a joint news conference with Vladimir Zelensky in Berlin on May 28, Merz reiterated that there are no restrictions any longer on the range of strikes inside Russian territory with the weapons that are supplied to Ukraine.
Under previous chancellor Olaf Scholz (2021-2025), Germany lifted a long-standing ban on weapons supplies to conflict zones, deciding to provide arms to Ukraine. However, Scholz refused to provide Kiev with Taurus missiles, which have the capability to fly deep into Russian territory.
The Swedish-German made Taurus air-launched cruise missiles have a range of more than 500 kilometers. These missiles can fly at an altitude as low as 50 meters, with high maneuverability. They are available in basic (KEPD-350) and lightweight (KEPD-150) models.
Even before taking office on May 6, 2025, the incumbent German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, repeatedly said that Germany could send Taurus missiles to Ukraine. Later, however, in mid-May, he walked back those statements, saying Germany had no plans to supply these missiles to Ukraine.
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