BERLIN, October 23. /TASS/. Russia no longer believes that Berlin has certain red lines it will never cross in supplying arms to Ukraine, Russia’s ambassador to Germany, Sergey Nechayev, has told TASS in an interview.
"We have long stopped orienting ourselves towards Berlin's red lines. Most of Germany’s once sacrosanct taboos have been broken," he noted. The diplomat pointed out that "the range of military supplies to Kiev is very wide."
"It includes modern air and anti-missile defense systems, artillery, heavy tanks and MLRS," Nechayev recalled. "With regard to [cruise missiles] Taurus, the German government has so far shown restraint, but nevertheless, we must be prepared for any march of events," Nechayev said.
"After the failure of Ukraine’s much-hyped summer counteroffensive, the question is for how long Berlin will be prepared to continue pumping considerable resources into supporting the Kiev regime," he asked.
In early October, after months of deliberation, Chancellor Olaf Scholz decided not to supply Taurus missiles to Ukraine for the time being. After meeting with Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky on the sidelines of the European Political Community summit in Granada, he explained his preliminary refusal by saying that he wanted to avoid an escalation of the conflict. Scholz also emphasized that all decisions regarding military support for Ukraine should be carefully weighed. At the same time, he fears that Ukraine may use Taurus missiles for attacking the Crimean bridge.
Kiev has long been asking Berlin for Taurus missiles, but Scholz has so far been reticent to respond to such calls. He has repeatedly said that all steps on arms deliveries were being coordinated with partners, including those across the ocean, and noted that the FRG's priority was still to provide Ukraine with air defense and artillery ammunition.
About 600 Taurus missiles were purchased for the Bundeswehr 10 years ago. These missiles are believed to be similar to Britain’s Storm Shadow missiles, which have already been delivered to Ukraine. However, the range of the German-Swedish missiles is slightly greater - up to 500 kilometers.