BERLIN, May 24. /TASS/. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has promised to continue military support for Ukraine but once again explained why Germany cannot supply Kiev with Taurus long-range missiles.
"We will provide support as long as it takes," he said. "But each decision should be well weighed. I have responsibility: we support Ukraine’s defensive struggle but we don’t want the situation to escalate to a war between Russia and NATO. One can only imagine what would become of Europe and the entire world should it happen."
He recalled that Germany’s military assistance to Ukraine amounts to 28 billion euro. Not long ago, Berlin promised to supply one more Patriot system in a bid to push other countries toward increasing assistance to Kiev. Scholz noted.
However, he once again said that he objects to sending Taurus missiles to Ukraine because it would mean that German soldiers will have to set targets themselves. "This is impossible if you don’t want to be a party to the conflict but want to remain Europe’s biggest donor," he added.
Ukraine has been asking Germany to supply Taurus missiles for quite a long time. These missiles are considered to be analogous to British Storm Shadows, which have already been delivered to Ukraine. However, Taurus’ range is longer than Storm Shadow’s, reaching 500 kilometers. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has repeatedly rejected the idea of sending Taurus missiles to Ukraine. According to him, the effective use of these missiles requires the involvement of German military personnel, and this is precisely the line he does not want to cross.
This topic has been raised again after the United States decided to allocate another aid package to Ukraine. Nevertheless, Scholz continues to stick to his position, saying he is not planning to change his mind.