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Boris Pistorius has defended Berlin’s decision to withhold the delivery of Taurus long-range munitions to Kiev
The potential delivery of Taurus air-launched cruise missiles to Ukraine would not significantly alter the situation on the battlefield, the German defense minister has argued.
Boris Pistorius made the remarks in an interview with broadcaster ARD on Sunday, amid concerns from some EU officials that the return of Donald Trump to the US presidency in January could cause a suspension of military aid to Kiev.
“There are arguments about the Taurus that are relevant to national security and NATO strategies, and we should not discuss them [publicly],” Pistorius said when asked whether Germany should reconsider its decision not to supply Ukraine with the missiles, which have a range of 500 km (310 miles).
“The Taurus would not be a game changer. Our mission is different. We now have to ensure that Ukraine continues to receive sustainable supplies,” the minister stressed.
In September, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz warned that providing Ukraine with cruise missiles would be tantamount to direct participation in the conflict with Russia.
“It would only be tenable to deliver [these weapons] if we determine and define the targets ourselves, and that is again not possible if you don’t want to be part of this conflict,” he said.
On Friday, Scholz and Russian President Vladimir Putin held their first phone call in nearly two years, in which Scholz reaffirmed Berlin’s resolve to support Kiev.
The German leader currently faces a no-confidence vote and a snap election early next year after the ruling coalition collapsed over budgetary disagreements. Berlin has shifted billions of euros from domestic spending to Ukraine in recent years.
Pistorius’ interview coincided with multiple news organizations saying the outgoing US President Joe Biden had reversed a previous policy of not allowing Ukraine to use American-made ATACMS missiles for strikes on Russia’s internationally recognized territory. Putin earlier stated that the expansion of strikes using Western long-range weapons would “change the nature of the conflict” with Ukraine and signal NATO’s direct participation.
