Germany: Debate over delivery of Taurus missiles to Kiev intensifies
The debate over the delivery of Taurus cruise missiles to Kiev is intensifying in Germany after several politicians called on Chancellor Olaf Scholz to give his consent, amid the latest massive Russian airstrikes on Ukrainian territory, AFP and dpa reported on Saturday. quoted by Agerpres.
"The delivery of Taurus missiles to Ukraine should have happened a long time ago. The most effective protection against Russian airstrikes is to hit targets located on Russian territory and in the occupied territories of eastern Ukraine, from where Russia launches its attacks," said in an interview Sara Nanni, a spokeswoman for the Greens group in the Parliament, a member party of Social Democrat Olaf Scholz's government coalition.
The promise to help Ukraine as long as necessary "seems cynical when Europe" offers "certainly enough so that it does not lose, but not enough to liberate its entire territory", MP Marie-Agnes told the daily Rheinische Post Strack-Zimmermann, a member of the Free Democratic Party (FDP), has been calling for Taurus missiles to be sent to Ukraine for several months.
Calls to this effect have intensified in recent days in Germany from members of these two parties, but also from the conservative opposition, given that Moscow has intensified its bombing of several Ukrainian cities, including the capital Kiev.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz's government has so far been reluctant to send Taurus missiles to Ukraine, one reason being that these missiles, which have a range of more than 500 kilometers, would allow Kiev to attack Russian territory.
On Wednesday, its spokesman, Steffen Hebestreit, said the government's position had not changed. "We are observing the situation and acting accordingly," he told a news conference.
