Germany has no plan to supply Ukraine with Taurus missiles in near future: Bild reports

According to the material, Germany has not yet officially declined to supply Taurus missiles to Ukraine, but in unofficial discussions, they have given the impression that the missiles will not be supplied at this time.

Journalists add that German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has left the issue of Taurus missiles for Ukraine open, but the deliveries are considered highly unlikely in the future.

At the same time, as Bild clarifies, representatives of the Ukrainian government have indicated in negotiations with the German side that Germany wants to do everything possible to further strengthen Ukraine's air defense, including providing more Patriot missiles for Ukraine's air defense systems.

Bild notes that last week during a closed session of the committee on foreign affairs, Scholz was asked why France and Britain were already delivering cruise missiles to Ukraine while Germany had not yet done so.

According to unnamed participants in the meeting, Scholz replied that both countries "can do what we are not allowed to do, so such a question does not arise for them."

Journalists speculate that the chancellor may have meant providing Ukraine with geodata on missile targets and the possible presence of German experts on the ground to service the missiles.

"Representatives of the German government have also expressed concern that the Taurus missiles could hit the Kerch Bridge," the article adds.

Taurus missiles for Ukraine

Ukraine has been requesting Germany to supply long-range Taurus missiles for several months. These missiles are capable of hitting targets up to 500 km away.

As recently reported by The Wall Street Journal, missile deliveries were being delayed because Germany was concerned about direct confrontation with Russia. Berlin believes that to use these missiles, it would need to send its experts to Ukraine.