German authorities confirm that the Ukrainians asked them for supplies of Taurus missiles with a range of at least 500 km.
By Le Figaro with AFP
Published on 05/27/2023 at 09:25
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Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Germany with Olaf Scholz, May 14, 2023. TOBIAS SCHWARZ / AFP
Ukraine has sent an official request to the federal government for the delivery of Taurus air-to-surface cruise missiles with a range of at least 500 km, the German Defense Ministry said on Saturday. “We received an inquiry from the Ukrainian side in the last few days,” said the spokesman, without giving details of the quantities.
It now remains to be seen whether Berlin agrees or not, which is likely to spark heated debates internally.
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The federal government has significantly increased its arms deliveries to Kiev in recent months, but has so far been reluctant to offer cruise missiles or support the Ukrainian air force, for example with the delivery of F-16 fighter jets.
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Already storm shadow
The Taurus is a fighter-borne air-to-surface cruise missile developed by the German-Swedish company of the same name. Due to its range, it would be able to hit targets far behind the current front line in eastern Ukraine.
The United Kingdom, one of Kiev’s main supporters, recently announced its intention to supply Ukraine with Storm Shadow cruise missiles, becoming the first country to supply this type of long-range weapon.
These developments come as Kyiv has been preparing for months a counter-offensive to push back Russian troops from occupied areas of Ukraine.