Germany considers providing cruise missiles to UK, France to arm Ukraine - Bloomberg
Kyiv • UNN
Germany is reportedly negotiating the supply of long-range cruise missiles to the UK and France, which will in turn arm Ukraine with their own versions, amid the ongoing conflict with Russia. German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said that he was not aware of any such talks.
Germany is studying the possibility of concluding an exchange agreement under which it will supply long-range cruise missiles to the UK and France so that they can arm Ukraine with their versions of these weapons. Bloomberg writes about it, UNN reports.
Details
According to a person familiar with the deal, which was first reported by the German news agency DPA and the newspaper Handelsblatt, negotiations on the plan proposed by the UK are ongoing.
There are still a number of technical and logistical issues that need to be resolved, added the person, who wished to remain anonymous while discussing the confidential planning.
Context
Recently, the media reported that Germany is considering a possible exchange agreement under which it would supply long-range cruise missiles to the UK and France so that they could arm Ukraine with their own versions of the weapons.
It should be noted that German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said on Thursday that he was not aware of any such talks. In an interview with Bild, Welt TV and Politico, he emphasized that if officials in Scholz's office are discussing the plan, they will have to determine "whether it is viable or not.
The UK Ministry of Defense neither denied nor confirmed the negotiations on such an exchange.
"The United Kingdom and our partners, including Germany, continue to work together to equip Ukraine as best we can to defend its sovereign territory," said the spokesman.
"We do not need Taurus to attack Moscow" - KulebaJan 24 2024, 07:42 AM • 33524 views
In recent weeks, Scholz has repeatedly called on European allies to send more weapons to Ukraine, arguing that Germany has provided more than half of all military aid coming from the EU.
"I am very annoyed that I have to constantly face criticism in Germany that the government is doing too little and is too indecisive. ... But we are doing more than all other EU countries, much more," Scholz said in an interview with the weekly Die Zeit on Wednesday.
Scholz: European countries should do more to support UkraineJan 25 2024, 08:55 AM • 33365 views
Reference
The Taurus cruise missile is one of the most advanced missiles in the Bundeswehr Air Force. They are capable of hitting targets at distances of up to 500 kilometers, even from high altitudes and distances, and, in particular, of destroying bunkers. In early October, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz decided not to send these weapons to Ukraine for the time being.
According to many experts, this is due to fears that Ukraine could use the Taurus to strike at Russian territory or to destroy the Crimean bridge, which is strategically important for Russian troops.
Recall
On January 2, after another shelling by the Russian Federation, the Bundestag again called for Ukraine to receive Taurus missiles. However, members of the German parliament did not support the opposition's motion to demand that the government provide Ukraine with Taurus missiles
It is noted that Chancellor Olaf Scholz has refused to send Germany's bunker-busting Taurus directly to the government in Kyiv because he fears that the missiles, which can hit targets over 500 kilometers (311 miles) away, could be used to attack Moscow.
Supplying them to the UK and France will mean that they will be able to send more of the similar Storm Shadow and Scalp missiles , which have a shorter range of about 250 kilometers.
