Germany announces new aid package for Ukraine, but no Taurus missiles
Photo: Boris Pistorius, German Defense Minister (Getty Images)
Today, March 19, Germany will announce a new military aid package for Ukraine. However, we should not expect information on Taurus missiles, according to German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius.
Pistorius emphasizes the importance of achieving sustainable support for Ukraine, which is a daily task. According to him, Berlin plans to expand cooperation with Poland, in particular in the production of ammunition, and to make Ukraine understand that it can continue to count on support.
The Minister says there is progress in the area of ammunition. On the one hand, thanks to the Czech initiative, but Germany will also be able to announce another package here today. The matter is moving forward sometimes in small, sometimes in bigger steps. But the main thing is the constant supply of ammunition.
At the same time, he answers the question of whether Ukraine can expect news about Taurus: "No, there is no news about it."
Military aid package
According to Tagesschau, during a press conference at the Ramstein meeting, Pistorius announced a military aid package worth $542.35 million.
In addition, Germany will support Ukraine's defense against the Russian-aggressor war in the short term with further supplies of ammunition. It is planned to supply 10 thousand artillery shells from the Bundeswehr warehouses.
In particular, the new aid package will include:
- 100 units of armored vehicles for infantry;
- 100 units of transport equipment.
Taurus for Ukraine
Since last year, Ukraine has been asking Germany to start supplying long-range Taurus missiles, which are capable of destroying targets at a distance of up to 500 kilometers. However, one of the main opponents of the transfer is German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
In early March, it was reported that the opposition CDU/CSU faction wanted to reintroduce a draft resolution to the Bundestag calling on the government to transfer long-range Taurus missiles to Ukraine. However, the vote failed once again.
The United Kingdom is ready to help Germany overcome the differences and provide Ukraine with long-range Taurus missiles. In particular, it is possible that Germany could transfer Taurus missiles to the UK, and the latter, in turn, could supply Ukraine with a new batch of long-range Storm Shadow missiles.
