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US approving strikes on Russia not to affect decision to withhold Taurus deliveries

German Cabinet Spokesman Wolfgang Buchner added that Chancellor Olaf Scholz "was briefed" on Joe Biden's decision to "support" Kiev with ATACMS missiles

BERLIN, November 18. /TASS/. Approval of strikes by US long-range weapons deep inside Russia by US President Joe Biden will not affect German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s decision not to supply Taurus missiles, German Cabinet Spokesman Wolfgang Buchner said at a briefing.

"Yes, the German government has been informed of this, and no, it will not affect the chancellor’s decision not to supply Taurus in any way," he said. Buchner added that Scholz "was briefed" on Biden's decision to "support" Kiev with ATACMS missiles, especially in the Kursk Region. "I will say it once again: the chancellor's decision [regarding Taurus] has not changed," Buchner reiterated.

In turn, German Defense Ministry Spokeswoman Natalie Jenning assured that all the weapons that Germany had transferred to Ukraine were not long-range arms. "All the weapons we supplied do not fall under the category of long-range weapons," she said.

The New York Times reported on Sunday that US President Joe Biden had authorized the use of US-supplied ATACMS tactical ballistic missiles for strikes inside Russia. The newspaper noted that Biden’s decision came two months before he is set to vacate his office and marked "a major change in US policy."

In turn, the France-based Le Figaro newspaper said that France and the UK had given similar authorization for the use of their SCALP and Storm Shadow missiles. The daily later retracted this statement from the article on its website without explanation. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said that Paris had not changed its position on strikes deep into Russia, explaining that such a possibility was being considered. London has not yet made any official comments.

Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov recalled that Moscow's position on strikes by US missiles deep inside Russian territory was clearly stated by Russian President Vladimir Putin in September. Peskov noted that this decision means a "qualitatively new round" of tensions.

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