Baerbock’s bold call: Time for Germany to supply Ukraine with long-range missiles

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has called for the delivery of long-range weapons to Ukraine.

"Now is the time to finally find the strength to do what our partners are already doing," she stated, Caliber.Az reports citing German media.

While she did not specifically mention Germany's Taurus cruise missiles, she highlighted that countries such as France and the UK are already providing Ukraine with similar weaponry.

Earlier, Friedrich Merz, the Christian Democratic Union's (CDU) candidate for Chancellor, expressed his willingness to issue an ultimatum to Russia and organize talks with President Vladimir Putin. 

Merz said, "If I win the election, I will demand an end to the fighting in Ukraine — giving Moscow just 24 hours to make a decision." He added that if Russia refused, he would propose supplying Ukraine with Taurus missiles and lifting the ban on strikes deep into Russian territory using long-range weapons.

In late October, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz criticized the potential supply of Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine, calling it an incorrect approach.

Scholz explained, "We must weigh everything carefully. And this is what everyone in Germany can rely on. That is why I will not supply certain weapons, which in my view would contribute to escalation."

He also expressed scepticism about ongoing discussions regarding the use of American and European weapons for attacks on Russian targets, stating, "I believe this decision is wrong."

In September, Scholz had already rejected the delivery of the Taurus missiles, which have a range of 500 kilometres. "Although many are pressuring me, I will not deliver cruise missiles that can reach Moscow," he said at the time.

Meanwhile, on November 15, Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Russian President Vladimir Putin held their first phone conversation in almost two years. According to German media reports, the last phone call between the two leaders occurred in December 2022. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had opposed Scholz’s decision to speak with Putin.

The conversation, which lasted about an hour, was confirmed by the German government. Berlin emphasized that Chancellor Scholz condemned Russia’s aggression against Ukraine and urged President Putin to end the war and withdraw Russian troops.

Scholz reaffirmed Germany's strong support for Ukraine, stating, "We will support Ukraine for as long as it takes." He also called on Putin to engage in negotiations with Kyiv to achieve "a just and lasting peace."

According to the Kremlin, Putin confirmed that Russia remains firm in its position on Ukraine and accused Germany of the "degradation of relations" between the two countries.

Putin was quoted as saying that the current situation in Ukraine stemmed from "years of aggressive NATO policies" and that peace talks should be based on "new territorial realities," meaning Russia should retain at least the territories it has already occupied.

Putin also emphasized, "Russia has never rejected negotiations and is still ready to engage in them." He added that Russia is open to cooperating with Germany.

"Russia has always clearly fulfilled its contractual and energy obligations and is ready for mutually beneficial cooperation, should there be interest from the German side," Putin said.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed that the conversation had been initiated by Germany. He noted that "it is not accurate to speak of a meeting of minds" between Putin and Scholz but added that "dialogue is important."

By Tamilla Hasanova