German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Monday ruled out the possibility of delivering Taurus long-range missiles to Ukraine, arguing that it could lead to a direct conflict between Russia and NATO.
“We would like to prevent this war that Russia has started against Ukraine from escalating into a war between Russia and NATO,” Scholz said in an interview.
He emphasized that the delivery of German-made Taurus long-range missiles to Ukraine would require the involvement of German soldiers for this mission or their deployment in Ukraine.
“German soldiers should not be in any way associated with the potential targets of this system, neither at any place nor anywhere,” Scholz said.
He added that German soldiers will not be deployed on Ukrainian territory.
“Our state and military structures of our country will not be involved in this war. This is the responsibility of the government, the responsibility of the chancellor,” Scholz said.
Ukraine has repeatedly requested Taurus cruise missiles from Germany, and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said in January that Kyiv needs this weapon “to destroy Russian military infrastructure along the front line on Ukrainian territory.”
The powerful cruise missiles have a range of over 500 kilometers and are well known for their success in accurately targeting objects such as bridges or deeply buried targets, such as command bunkers.
