During his visit to Kyiv, the Minister of Finance Germany Christian Lindner said that Berlin sympathizes with the request of the Ukrainian authorities to supply Taurus cruise missiles to the armed forces of Ukraine, which could be useful in a counter-offensive.
In an interview with Bild, Lindner emphasized that he understands the importance of this request for the Ukrainian side, and urged that this initiative be handled quickly and correctly.
The German minister also outlined several key factors that must be taken into account before making a decision on supplies. . First, it is necessary to coordinate these deliveries with allies and partners. Second, Germany must avoid being drawn into the conflict and maintain its ability to defend itself. Thirdly, it is fundamentally important to take into account the range of missiles and their potential use.
When asked about the possibility of transporting the Taurus during the ongoing counter-offensive of Kiev, the minister expressed hope for a positive development of events. He noted that he believes in the possibility of reaching an agreement on supplies under the above-mentioned criteria.
Information that Berlin plans to publish a decision on the supply of Taurus long-range missiles to Ukraine appeared in the T-online news portal, which refers on resources from the ruling SPD party. The decision to deliver Taurus is considered taking into account the position of partners in NATO and the United States, despite a number of difficulties associated with the characteristics of these missiles.
The range of missiles exceeding 500 kilometers is becoming a controversial aspect. This caused a discussion in the German professional public, where the possibility of programming the missiles so that they did not threaten Russian territory was considered. Representatives of the military industry are currently discussing this topic.