According to a report in the German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ), Ukraine has asked Germany to purchase long-range Taurus cruise missiles capable of reaching Moscow. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky reportedly discussed this request with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz during his visit to Berlin in early May, according to the newspaper.
Germany’s Federal Ministry of Defense has confirmed that Kyiv has made this request to obtain the missiles, FAZ reports. However, there are concerns about whether Ukraine would responsibly use a weapon such as the Taurus. The missile has a range of 500 kilometers, which means it could reach Moscow from the Ukrainian border. For this reason, some fear that Ukraine could opt for uncontrolled escalation if supplied with these missiles, the report warns.
In early May, the UK delivered to Ukraine a batch of Storm Shadow missiles with a range of more than 250 kilometers. Russia has repeatedly warned that supplying Ukraine with weapons only prolongs the conflict. Russia’s permanent representative to the UN, Vasily Nebenzia, said last week that although Western countries insist they are not a party to the Ukrainian conflict and are only helping Ukraine to “defend itself,” in reality they are not interested in ending hostilities and are only demonstrating their willingness to escalate further.
The situation in Ukraine remains sensitive, and the supply of arms to Ukraine has raised concerns about a possible escalation of tensions. The international community continues to closely monitor developments in the region and advocates a peaceful resolution of the conflict.