US President Joe Biden, who will leave power in two months, recently announced that his country will provide long-range missiles to Ukraine so it can strike deep inside Russia. The US administration itself is not only delivering those missiles to Ukraine against Russia, but is also pressuring its allies to do the same. But Germany has refused to bow to American pressure. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Monday that his country will not provide long-range Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine.
Ukraine has long demanded Taurus missiles from Germany in order to carry out long-range attacks inside Russia. Taurus missiles can reach a range of 500 kilometers and are launched from a fighter aircraft.
Amid this demand from Ukraine, the Biden administration’s pressure on Germany has also increased, despite the fact that Germany is not willing to give up its missiles to Ukraine. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on the sidelines of the ongoing G-20 summit in Brazil: “I have explained in great detail why it is not right to deliver Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine.”
Why doesn’t Germany want to hand over its long-range missiles to Ukraine?
Scholz stated that it is important to support Ukraine against Russia’s military “aggression”, but also to act with “prudence.” He said missiles can only be used when responsibility for what their target is is shared. He had also previously said that if Germany agrees to hand over its cruise missiles to Ukraine, it could create the danger of its becoming directly involved in the war.
“This is something I cannot take responsibility for,” Scholz said in the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro. We have a clear understanding that the powerful weapons, long-range cannons and rocket launchers that we have provided so far cannot be used to reach the interior areas of Russia.
Regarding this position of the German Chancellor, a statement by former British Defense Minister Ben Wallace has come to light, in which he urges Scholz to reconsider the possibility of delivering Taurus missiles to Ukraine. Ben Wallace, speaking to Britain’s Times radio, said: ‘Now he (Scholz) should reconsider his stubborn opposition to the use of Taurus. This makes them strange compared to the French and the British. The German leaders do not understand that this is the solution.
Germany will donate 4,000 AI-guided drones to Ukraine
Germany has been the second largest country to provide military aid to Ukraine against the Russian war and on Monday Germany itself said that 4,000 AI-guided drones will be delivered to Ukraine.
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, speaking to reporters at an event in the German state of Bavaria, said German drones delivered to Ukraine can destroy the enemy’s electronic defense.
Pistorius said these drones can reach their targets very quickly and can be deployed 30 to 40 kilometers behind the front line. He said German drones can be used to attack war posts, logistics centers and other targets.
