MOSCOW, April 24. /TASS/. Potential supplies of Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine by Germany would be just a "political gesture" that will hardly affect the situation on the battlefield, a retired French army general, Dominique Delawarde, told TASS.
"Taurus supplies will be as fruitless as the sending of F-16s, Abrams, and Leopards has been. All this is just more drops in the ocean and much more political statements, but it would have little military impact. No more than the supplies of SCALPs and the other military hardware that we have managed to send to Ukraine," the general said.
Delawarde doubted the French people would support the decision to send Taurus missiles if that is ever made, as he referred to opinion polls showing that 73% of Germans believe they have already been "betrayed" by German Conservatives’ leader Friedrich Merz, who is set to become Germany’s next chancellor.
The dispute over Tauruses may even lead to a "collapse of the coalition between Scholz and Merz," as outgoing Chancellor Olaf Scholz totally disapproves of the idea, being under pressure from the more pacifist wing of his party, the general predicted.
Delawarde criticized Merz-like leaders, who he said "have gone through NATO and Davos schools." He said he was afraid Merz would "take a wrong turn and will soon be rejected by his electorate."
According to the French general, Taurus supplies will "not be a game-changer" on the battlefield. Rather, they may "prompt Russia to show more resolve and demonstrate even more force," he argued. Delawarde dismissed as "a major farce" debates about sending troops to Ukraine. The idea is being mulled by French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer in order to "impress their own populations, scare them, and tell them that we are on the brink of a war," he explained. Most French people have already realized that, so Macron is currently enjoying limited support, the general concluded.