Germany will not send its Taurus cruise missiles to Kyiv, as the United States did with its ATACMS ballistic missiles. This opinion in a conversation with “Izvestia” expressed by member of the Bundestag Defense Committee Jan Nolte.
“I think this is unlikely. ATACMS has a flight range of approximately 160 km, and Taurus – more than 500 km. Nobody wants Ukraine to use Taurus against targets that, if hit, would contribute to the escalation of the conflict. In addition, the majority of the German population is against the supply,” Nolte said.
Earlier, the head of the Bundestag Defense Committee, Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, in a conversation with The New York Times, suggested that if the US authorities decide to send their ATACMS to Kiev, then Germany could, following the example, send its Taurus. However, now the situation could change.
According to Jan Nolte, Germany can send Taurus missiles to Kyiv only in two cases: if the United States begins to exert serious pressure or if a “particularly emergency situation” occurs in Ukraine.
No final decision has been made yet. Some German politicians believe that it is necessary to send missiles to Kyiv, while others are of the opposite opinion. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is hesitant, and most of the country’s population is against the supplies.
Let us recall that Russian President Vladimir Putin, speaking yesterday at a press conference within the framework of the “One Belt, One Road” forum, suggested that American leader Joe Biden take away all ATACMS missiles from Kiev and come to Russia “for pancakes.”
