RUSSELS, October 18. /TASS/. Berlin remains the second largest supplier of weapons to Ukraine after the US but will not provide Kiev with long-range Taurus cruise missiles, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said.

"Germany remains Ukraine’s biggest supporter in Europe," he pointed out at a briefing following the first day of the EU’s summit in Brussels.

"However, I have always said that we also have the full responsibility to make sure that the war between Russia and Ukraine does not escalate into a war between Russia and NATO. This remains my responsibility," Scholz pointed out. According to him, German citizens can rest assured that the head of government will take responsible and careful steps. "I have made clear statements about Taurus missiles, which cannot be changed. I don’t think that such supplies will be the right thing to do," he added.

Scholz spoke cautiously about Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky’s plan to resolve the conflict. He opposed public discussion of the initiative.

Berlin has so far allocated some 28 bln euros in military aid to Kiev and future commitments. Germany plans to provide four bln euro worth of military aid to Ukraine in 2025.

On October 16, Zelensky presented his plan to resolve the conflict with Russia to the Verkhovna Rada (Ukraine’s parliament). The plan suggests that Kiev should immediately be invited to join NATO, be provided with more military aid, hit targets inside Russia with long-range weapons and be able to use European air defenses to protect the country’s territory. The plan also calls for the creation of "a non-nuclear strategic deterrence package" in Ukraine and the country’s post-conflict reconstruction with assistance from Western nations. There also are some classified annexes, which have only been presented to the NATO members that have significant military capacity. Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova slammed Zelensky’s ideas as a set of meaningless slogans. She blamed him for pushing NATO towards a direct conflict with Russia.