Baerbock says Storm Shadow could be exchanged for Taurus with UK
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Getty Images)
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has expressed openness to her British counterpart David Cameron's proposal to provide Ukraine with new Taurus cruise missiles through a ring swap, according to Der Spiegel.
"This would be an option," she said.
Baerbock noted that similar ring swaps have occurred concerning other materials.
"The ring exchange was, so to speak, a German invention. That would be an option. And we did that some time ago with other material," said Baerbock.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz has previously resorted to bartering as an indirect form of military assistance at the onset of the war in Ukraine when he was not yet willing to send Leopard 2 combat tanks to Ukraine.
Backstory
Earlier, British Foreign Secretary David Cameron stated that the United Kingdom is ready to assist Germany in overcoming differences and providing Ukraine with long-range Taurus missiles.
Cameron explained that London considers a potential ring swap. For example, Germany would transfer Taurus missiles to Britain, and London would provide Ukraine with additional Storm Shadow missiles in return.
Currently, discussions are underway regarding the transfer of German Taurus missiles to Ukraine, capable of targeting objects up to 500 km away. Berlin is currently against it, but Ukraine and its allies are urging German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to make a decision.
For more details on whether Ukraine will indeed receive German long-range missiles, see the RBC-Ukraine's coverage.
