Kuleba once again calls on Germany to give Ukraine Taurus missiles

Kuleba once again calls on Germany to give Ukraine Taurus missiles

Ukrinform
Against the background of a lively discussion in Germany of the long-range missiles for the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Dmytro Kuleba, once again appealed to the Federal Government to supply Taurus cruise missiles.

He stated this to the German media network (RND), Ukrinform reports.

"The final decision rests with Germany. But I’d like everyone to be aware that we do need these weapons," the minister said.

He emphasized that the country needs an extensive weapons system to defend against Russia.

The diplomat decried escalation fears as groundless. Kuleba rejected the claim that the delivery of cruise missiles could drag Germany into a direct military conflict with Russia.

Read also: Chair of Bundestag’s Foreign Affairs Committee says ammo for Ukraine should be bought across world

"I think that after the first delivery of Leopard tanks, this fear was dispelled. Since then, the argument about escalation has been removed," the minister noted.

He added that discussions between the two governments about the possible supply of Taurus cruise missiles are still ongoing.

Kuleba also welcomed the recent Bundestag resolution calling on the government to supply Ukraine with additional "long-range weapon systems." At the same time, he refrained from criticizing the government, which is still blocking the move. Also, he emphasized that Germany is "No.1 after the USA in terms of arms supplies", so it is difficult to complain as Germany has been sending so many weapons that are needed to save lives and liberate Russian-occupied territories.

At the same time, the foreign minister criticized the West for the current ammunition storage Ukraine is going through.

Read also: Ukrainian, British think tanks expose supplies of raw materials to Russia for ammo production

"I complain about the lack of ammunition at every meeting with our partners. They all realize it, they've made mistakes that they admit. They belatedly decided to increase their own output, enter into long-term contracts, and launch new production lines. Unfortunately, we are now paying the cost of these mistakes," Kuleba stated. He added that every effort is currently being made to ensure that EU member states now purchase ammunition in third countries and deliver it to Ukraine.

As reported earlier, last Thursday in the Bundestag, factions of the ruling coalition adopted a resolution calling for the government to provide Ukraine with "long-range weapons" without mentioning the Taurus, while the same lawmakers blocked the resolution put forward by the conservative opposition, which specifically referred to the transfer of these missiles. In Germany, it is widely believed that Chancellor Olaf Scholz personally opposes the supply of this type of weapon.

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