Germany’s Baerbock calls for quick approval of long-range Taurus missiles for Ukraine

Baerbock said this at a press conference in Berlin on Monday, DPA reports.

"And over the past year and a half, we have seen how important our military support really is for Ukraine's self-defence... And from this perspective, we are studying all further requests from Ukraine to enable it to defend its own population," the foreign minister said.

Asked whether she would support the speedy delivery of Taurus to Ukraine, Baerbock said: 

"What matters every day is what I think we have had to experience over the last year and a half."

The German foreign minister also mentioned the decision of Denmark and the Netherlands to hand over F-16s to Ukraine after the exercise, calling it a great day for Ukraine in Europe. 

Baerbock stressed that every day we are reminded of the brutality of Russian aggression against Ukraine.

Earlier, a representative of the German government, Steffen Hebestreit, noted that in the context of the Netherlands and Denmark's decisions on F-16s for Ukraine, there is no pressure on the German government to supply Taurus.

He noted that in the context of the Netherlands and Denmark's decisions on F-16s for Ukraine, there is no pressure on the German government to supply Taurus.

Asked whether a decision on the Taurus delivery could be expected before or at next week's government meeting, Hebestreit said he could not give any timeframe.

"The important thing is that there is no new status at the moment," the government representative emphasized.

The official added that it is important that Ukraine is supported "to the best of Germany's ability."

According to him, Germany is Ukraine's second most supportive ally after the United States.

What is known about Taurus missiles

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 refueled warhead is 1,360 kg, and the empty weight is 1,080 kg. The maximum flight range is at least 500 km.

• 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.

• Recently, Ukrainian MP Cherniev, citing his own sources, said 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 same time, Ukraine's Ambassador to Germany, Oleksii Makeiev, spoke out against limiting the range of long-range Taurus missiles.