Missile threat shakes Kremlin? Putin seeks dialogue with Germany over Ukraine
Russian President Vladimir Putin (photo: kremlin.ru)
Russian President Putin doubts that Germany can make a greater contribution as a mediator in negotiations between Russia and Ukraine than the US, according to remarks made during a press conference at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.
In his opinion, a mediator should be a neutral country, and Germany no longer holds that status today.
“When we see German Leopard tanks on the battlefield, and now we’re seeing that Germany is considering supplying Taurus missiles (long-range Taurus missiles – ed.) for strikes on Russian territory... serious questions arise. If that happens, it won’t affect the course of combat operations, but it will completely ruin our relations,” the Kremlin leader said.
Putin added that today, Russia does not view Germany as a neutral state, but rather as a party supporting Ukraine and, in some cases, as an accomplice to the hostilities.
At the same time, Putin noted that they are always open if German Chancellor Friedrich Merz wants to talk about this topic or present some ideas regarding it.
Transfer of Taurus missiles to Ukraine
During the election campaign, Friedrich Merz repeatedly mentioned the possibility of transferring long-range Taurus missiles to Ukraine. However, the Armed Forces of Ukraine have not yet received this long-range weaponry.
At the end of May, the German edition of Bild reported that Berlin had not made a decision on supplying Taurus missiles to Ukraine.
Meanwhile, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that negotiations regarding the delivery of these missiles to Ukraine are ongoing.
In early June, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius officially announced that Germany is not considering transferring Taurus missiles to Ukraine.
