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The Bundeswehr photo shows a Taurus cruise missile during an exercise.
Ukraine is asking for the weapon, but Germany doesn't want to give it to Kiev.
© Bundeswehr/dpa
Ukraine has been asking for German Taurus cruise missiles for months.
But this is too risky for Chancellor Scholz.
Now there is an idea how Taurus can help Ukraine without being delivered there.
Berlin - Germany may want to participate in the supply of cruise missiles to Ukraine through a ring swap.
According to dpa information, there are considerations about supplying Taurus rockets from the Bundeswehr to NATO partners such as Great Britain and France.
In return, these countries would then export similar, less powerful weapons systems to Ukraine.
The “Handelsblatt” reported, citing diplomats and government representatives, that Great Britain had already offered weeks ago to give Ukraine more of its Storm Shadow cruise missiles in return for Taurus.
This offer is still being examined.
The Chancellery did not want to comment on the report on Wednesday evening.
London refers to existing cooperation with Germany
In response to a dpa inquiry about the report, the British Ministry of Defense simply said: “The United Kingdom and our partners, including Germany, continue to work together to equip Ukraine in the best possible way for the defense of its territory.” Significant quantities would be transferred via an international coordination center in Stuttgart of armaments provided.
A ministry spokesman pointed out that Great Britain wants to increase its military aid to Ukraine to 2.5 billion pounds (around 2.9 billion euros) this year.
He didn't entertain the ring exchange idea.
According to dpa information, there have been concrete discussions about this with both Great Britain and France.
Ukraine's official request dates back to May
Ukraine had already officially asked the federal government for Taurus cruise missiles in May last year.
The weapons can hit targets up to 500 kilometers away with great precision.
At the beginning of October, Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) initially decided against a delivery.
The underlying fear is that the bombardment of Russian territory with German missiles will lead to a further escalation of the conflict and that Germany will be drawn into it.
Moscow is a little less than 500 kilometers from the Ukrainian border as the crow flies, i.e. within Taurus range.
Ukraine assures: does not want to attack Moscow
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba once again countered German concerns in an interview published on Wednesday by “Bild”, Welt.tv and Politico.
“We don’t need a Taurus to attack Moscow,” he assured.
He stressed that Ukraine instead needed the weapon system to destroy Russian military infrastructure in Moscow-occupied Ukrainian territory.
Britain and France are already supplying cruise missiles
Great Britain and France have long been supplying Ukraine with virtually identical Storm Shadow and Scalp cruise missiles for this purpose.
However, these are not considered as precise and powerful as Taurus.
Just a few days ago, French Defense Minister Sébastian Lecornu announced the delivery of another 40 Scalp missiles.
France is said to have almost 400 of them.
According to experts' estimates, the Bundeswehr's Taurus inventory is around 500.
Strack-Zimmermann calls the idea “unsuitable”
The ring exchange idea met with a mixed response in the coalition factions in the Bundestag.
The SPD budget expert Andreas Schwarz, who is responsible for defense, told the “Handelsblatt”: “If it benefits Ukraine, then that is certainly an option in the context of international cooperation.”
For the chairwoman of the Defense Committee, Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, exchanging rings is not a good solution.
“Ukraine needs Taurus, and it needs it now,” she said.
She doesn't understand the point of exchanging rings.
“Then the Bundeswehr no longer has Taurus and Ukraine still doesn’t have one.
Storm Shadow is not an equivalent replacement.
In this respect, the proposal is unsuitable.”
Scholz wants to promote more arms deliveries at the EU summit
Next week, the countries of the European Union want to discuss further arms aid for Ukraine at a summit on Scholz's initiative.
In preparation for this summit, the Chancellor met with French President Emmanuel Macron in Berlin on Monday.
On Wednesday evening, at a press conference with Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico, he said that the conversation was “so specific and detailed” that many joint initiatives could arise from it.
At the beginning of January, Scholz had already called on all EU partners to provide more military aid to Ukraine.
Germany is Ukraine's second largest arms supplier after the USA - far ahead of large EU partner states such as France, Italy and Spain.
In a "Zeit" interview published on Wednesday, the Chancellor said when asked whether he was disappointed with other Europeans: "Well, I'm rather irritated that I constantly have to face criticism in Germany that the government is not doing enough and be too hesitant.
We do more than all other EU states, much more.” dpa