Kyiv requests German missiles as counter offensive looms

Ukraine has sent the German government an official request for deliveries of Taurus air-to-ground cruise missiles with a range of at least 500 km, the German Ministry of Defence told AFP on May 27.

"We have received a request from the Ukrainian side over the last few days", the spokeswoman said, without giving details of the quantities involved, Euronews reports.

It now remains to be seen whether or not Berlin will grant the request, which is likely to spark heated internal debate.

The Taurus is an air-to-ground cruise missile carried by fighters and developed by the German-Swedish company of the same name. Because of its range, it would be capable of hitting targets a long way behind the current front line in eastern Ukraine.