Former German president advocates for supplying Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine

Joachim Gauck, who served as Germany's president from 2012 to 2017, has expressed his support for providing Ukraine with Taurus cruise missiles.

“I have discussed this with military experts, and I am in favour of supplying Taurus cruise missiles,” he stated in an interview with German media, Caliber.Az reports.

When asked whether military targets on Russian territory could be attacked, he affirmed this possibility.

In a separate interview with a German newspaper, Gauck acknowledged the challenges Ukraine faces in achieving its military objectives. “I am realistic enough to recognize that the Ukrainian government may not accomplish all its goals. However, I refuse to impose my views on Ukraine, as that would be arrogant,” he remarked. He emphasized that it is up to the Ukrainian government and its people to determine when their forces might be unable to meet their objectives due to depletion.

On September 20, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz reiterated his stance against transferring Taurus cruise missiles, which have a range of approximately 500 km, to Kyiv. He has consistently warned that delivering such weaponry could lead to a “serious risk of escalation.” Ukraine has long requested the Taurus missiles, which are seen as a counterpart to the British Storm Shadow missiles already supplied to them, but with a longer range.

Additionally, on September 12, Russian President Vladimir Putin commented that Ukraine would struggle to strike deep into Russian territory without Western support, citing the need for intelligence from satellites and reconnaissance missions. He suggested that NATO countries are not merely contemplating the use of long-range weapons by Ukraine but are also deliberating their potential direct involvement in the conflict.

By Tamilla Hasanova