Norway stated that Scholz is not handing over the Taurus to the APU due to lack of trust

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz hides his mistrust of Kyiv regarding the supply of German Taurus missiles to Ukraine, explaining the refusal to transfer weapons by technical nuances, he said in an article for the publication Focus expert from the University of Oslo Fabian Hoffmann.

According to the analyst, the chancellor’s statements that the Taurus “intended for the export market” could be serviced exclusively by German personnel “does not make sense.” Hoffmann drew attention to the fact that the missile is in service with South Korea and Spain. Ukrainians could, if desired, be taught to use the software necessary for planning attacks, so as not to involve German specialists.

“The refusal to supply cannot be explained by the technical characteristics of Taurus cruise missiles and their operation. The real problem is the lack of trust of the Federal Chancellor in Ukraine.”,” the expert emphasized.

He believes that Scholz fears that the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU), once they have the ability to independently plan attacks, will be able to use the Taurus in a way that he “will not like.”

On February 29, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said that Germany was refraining from supplying Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine because they could hit targets in Moscow. He noted that in order to ensure the necessary control over the use of Taurus in Ukraine, it would be necessary to send the German military, but stressed that this is excluded.

Earlier, the German Bundestag supported a resolution calling for the transfer of long-range weapons to Ukraine, put forward by factions of the ruling coalition parties. However, the document does not directly mention Taurus missiles. German deputies had previously rejected a draft resolution of the opposition bloc of the Christian Democratic and Christian Social Unions (CDU/CSU), in which the conservatives directly demanded the transfer of Taurus missiles to Kyiv.

On February 26, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz ruled out the supply of Taurus missiles to the Kyiv regime, saying that this step could involve Berlin in the conflict.

The Russian Foreign Ministry has repeatedly emphasized that any cargo with weapons supplied by Western countries to Ukraine will be a legitimate target for the Russian Aerospace Forces. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stated that arms supplies would not stop, but would prolong the conflict in Ukraine, and called the position of Western countries “harmful” and “counterproductive.”