Zelenskyy pushes for TAURUS missiles as Friedrich Merz set to lead Germany

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed hope that Germany would provide Ukraine with TAURUS long-range cruise missiles once Friedrich Merz is likely to assume the role of Chancellor. 

Zelenskyy made these remarks during a press conference in Kyiv on Tuesday, April 1, alongside Germany’s acting Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, Caliber.Az reports via German media.

"We will work on this, and we will have negotiations. As for the details, once the new chancellor is selected and the new cabinet is in place, only then, later, will I be able to answer this question," Zelensky said. When asked by a German journalist if he was hopeful for the delivery of the TAURUS missiles, Zelenskyy responded: "Yes, of course. I am more than hopeful."

Baerbock responded to the same question by stating that she would be stepping down from her position as foreign minister soon and, as a result, could not speak for the future government’s actions. She encouraged attention to Friedrich Merz's previous statements on the issue.

Merz, leader of the conservative Christian Democratic Union and Christian Social Union (CDU/CSU) coalition, which won the German parliamentary elections, has consistently supported the idea of supplying TAURUS missiles to Ukraine. As opposition leader, he criticized Chancellor Olaf Scholz of the Social Democratic Party for not providing Ukraine with this weapon.

When asked about the possibility of foreign troops being deployed to Ukraine, Zelenskyy said that the first "meeting of military teams from several countries — a select group of countries that are willing to deploy a contingent in some form — will take place on April 4."

"There have been consultations, and this will be the first in-depth meeting. We will see some clarifications and details. Importantly, it will be based on proposals prepared by the Ukrainian side," Zelensky added.

Addressing Donald Trump's threats toward Russia, Zelenskyy stated that he expects Washington to "seriously demonstrate sanctions measures." "I believe we are at a stage of tightening sanctions because I think the Russians are violating what they promised America," Zelenskyy said. He added that the U.S. has "all the necessary tools to apply sanction pressure on Russia."

Zelenskyy confirmed that both Kyiv and Moscow had agreed not to target energy infrastructure with missiles. While there is no monitoring mechanism for this agreement, Ukraine has been sharing information daily with the US regarding violations of the moratorium by Russia. Earlier, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs accused Ukraine of not adhering to the agreement and claimed that Moscow is also sharing this data with Washington.

By Tamilla Hasanova