Germany’s Scholz rules out Taurus missile deliveries if German soldiers involved
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BERLIN, March 4 (Reuters) – German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Monday ruled out arming Ukraine with long-range Taurus missiles if German soldiers needed to be involved to help operate them.
“… you cannot deliver a weapons system that has a very wide reach and then not think about how control over the weapons system can take place,” he said at a school function.
“And if you want to have control and it’s only possible if German soldiers are involved, that’s out of the question for me.”
Germany has so far resisted sending Taurus missiles to Ukraine, wary of being sucked into a direct confrontation with Russia. The issue escalated after Russian media on Friday published a 38-minute recording of a call in which German officers were heard discussing weapons for Ukraine and a potential strike by Kyiv on a bridge in Crimea.
Situation on Taurus deliveries to Ukraine is clear
Germany should evaluate every possibility when it comes to supporting Ukraine but the situation on missile deliveries is clear, Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said on Monday when asked about giving long-range Taurus weapons to Kyiv.
“In my view the factual situation is very very clear,” she said during a visit in Montenegro.
Photo: A long-range Taurus missile in flight courtesy of Bundeswehr
