Germany condemns Russian attack on Ukraine, not ready to send Taurus missiles

This was reported by Tagesschau.

"There is no new status in this matter," the German government spokesman said, commenting on the likelihood of providing Ukraine with Taurus missiles.

At the same time, he stressed that Russia's massive attacks on Ukraine's civilian infrastructure are a war crime that Germany strongly condemns.

Taurus missiles for Ukraine: what is known

In May, it was reported that Ukraine had asked Germany for long-range missiles.

At the end of June, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said that Germany did not intend to provide Ukraine with these missiles.

In early August, it was reported that the Bundestag had reached a consensus on the transfer of Taurus missiles to Ukraine.

At the same time, the German newspaper Spiegel reported that Chancellor Olaf Scholz wants to make technical modifications to the missiles to prevent Kyiv from striking Russian territory.

At the end of August, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock called for a speedy decision on the supply of long-range missiles to Ukraine, as every day is important. And in mid-September, German MPs wrote a letter to Scholz urging him to make a decision in favor of Ukraine.

On January 2, 2024, the head of the Bundestag Defense Committee, the Free Democratic Party's Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, again called for the delivery of these missiles to Ukraine.

Reference: The Taurus KEPD 350/150 is a subsonic, long-range, air-to-surface tactical cruise missile for precision strikes and engagement of highly protected and buried targets without the missile carrier entering enemy air defense zones. The basic KEPD-350 model has a tandem concrete-piercing warhead weighing 481 kg and an explosive weight of about 50 kg. The weight of the vehicle is 1,360 kg, while the empty weight is 1,080 kg. The maximum flight range is at least 500 km.

• On the night of December 29, 2023, Russia launched several groups of Shaheds that attacked Ukraine, and in the morning, it launched missiles. The Russian forces hit high-rise buildings, educational institutions, a shopping center, and a maternity hospital. More than 100 people were wounded and at least 31 killed.
• On the morning of January 2, Russian troops attacked Ukraine from strategic aviation. A series of explosions occurred in Kyiv and Kharkiv. The attack resulted in deaths and injuries, and destroyed buildings. Ukraine's Air Defense Forces destroyed 72 of the 99 Russian missiles, including 10 Kinzhals.