German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Wednesday reaffirmed his opposition to arming Ukraine with Taurus missiles, which have a range of over 300 miles and could be used to hit targets deep inside Russia.
Scholz said sending Taurus missiles would be “irresponsible” and that it would require the deployment of German troops to Ukraine.
“From my point of view, this is a very long-range weapon,” he told Germany’s parliament. “Given the significance of not losing control over targets, this weapon could not be used without the deployment of German soldiers.”
Other members of Scholz’s government want Germany to supply Ukraine with Taurus missiles, with Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock calling for Berlin to “intensively consider” the possibility.
Scholz said the idea was “out of the question,” but he has taken steps to arm Ukraine he previously ruled out throughout the war. The German leader was initially strongly against sending tanks, saying it risked sparking World War III, but he eventually agreed to arm Ukraine with German-made Leopard tanks.
Scholz’s latest comments on the Taurus situation came after Russian media published a leaked recording of German military officers discussing the possibility of the missiles being used to target the Crimean Bridge. The recording also revealed that British troops are “on the ground” in Ukraine helping Ukrainian forces fire Storm Shadow missiles, which have a range of about 155 miles.
NATO countries have been more open about the fact that there are a small number of NATO troops inside Ukraine. Last year, the Discord leaks revealed that, as of March 2023, there were 97 NATO special operations soldiers in the country.
Source: AntiWar.
