German Chancellor: No Taurus long-range missiles for Ukraine

WORLD  28 April 2024 - 10:28

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has once again made it clear that neither German troops nor Taurus long-range cruise missiles will be sent to Kyiv.

"There are weapons that can only be shipped when it is possible to maintain control over everything done with them," Scholz said at a meeting of the Social Democratic Party in Luneburg, thus ruling out Taurus shipments to Ukraine, according to TASS.

This weapon system is so effective and precise, he said, that it can "be fired straight into a living room."

"It is responsible only if we keep control of target guidance. But we cannot do this," the chancellor stressed. "If we had done this, we would have been involved in the war," Scholz added.

"There will be neither German soldiers nor NATO troops in this war. We won’t be operating with German soldiers inside Ukraine, nor will we be conducting military operations outside Ukraine, such as target guidance and the like," the German chancellor concluded.

Niko Lange, a German security expert and political adviser, opined on April 25 that Germany should secretly send Taurus long-range cruise missiles to Ukraine.

Scholz has repeatedly reiterated his stance that he would do his best to prevent any escalation of the conflict, that is a war between Russia and NATO. Therefore, he said, "there will be no German military or NATO soldiers on Ukrainian soil." The German chancellor said on April 24 that Berlin’s decision not to send Taurus missiles to Ukraine had not changed. Scholz has repeatedly rejected the possibility of providing Kyiv with the Taurus missiles, saying that German soldiers have to be engaged for the effective use of these missiles, and this is the red line he does not want to cross.

Caliber.Az