Germany Faces Pressure to Transfer Missiles to Ukraine as Conflict With Russia Continues
As Ukraine’s counteroffensive against Russian forces progresses at a slow pace, pressure is mounting on Germany to transfer its long-range missiles to support the country’s efforts. This comes as other countries, including Britain and France, have already pledged their support to Ukraine.
The Biden administration has not yet made a public announcement regarding the transfer of missiles to Ukraine, but European officials and security experts believe that a decision is imminent. This puts German Chancellor Olaf Scholz under increasing pressure to donate Germany’s Taurus missiles.
Chancellor Scholz’s stance on the matter has remained unchanged since last month, and a decision has not been reached yet. Germany has been coordinating its donations of military equipment with the United States. However, concerns regarding the potential escalation of the conflict and the risk of striking Russian territory have made both Berlin and Washington hesitant to send long-range missiles to Ukraine.
Ukraine has assured that the donated missiles will not be fired into Russia’s internationally recognized borders, similar to the commitments made by Britain and France when they offered their support earlier this year.
Chancellor Scholz is facing internal pressure from right-wing populists to reduce support for the war, but his government is also concerned about the possibility of Russia reverse-engineering the Taurus missile if its components are captured on the battlefield.
There is a debate among experts as to whether German troops may need to be deployed in Ukraine to operate the Taurus systems, or if Ukraine’s forces are already trained on other Western weapons systems.
The Taurus missile, with a range of over 310 miles, is considered the most advanced and sophisticated long-range missile available for Ukraine. It can fly low to avoid detection and has precise targeting capabilities.
Approximately 150 Taurus missiles out of the original order of 600 could potentially be transferred to Ukraine on short notice.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dymtro Kuleba believes that the delivery of Taurus missiles is just a matter of time. However, German lawmaker Anton Hofreiter of the Green party argues that Chancellor Scholz’s reluctance reinforces Russian President Vladimir Putin’s belief that he will ultimately win the war.
The decision regarding the transfer of missiles to Ukraine is eagerly anticipated as the conflict between Ukraine and Russia continues to escalate.
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