Only peace talks may block Taurus missile transfer to Ukraine — analyst

He shared this opinion on Espreso TV.

“As for the Taurus, I can say that Merz’s position—at least up to the elections—was unambiguous: Taurus missiles should be supplied, especially if Russia continues its missile and drone attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure and peaceful Ukrainian cities in general. Accordingly, since the attacks are ongoing, the likelihood that the Taurus will be provided—even after Friedrich Merz officially becomes chancellor—is quite high,” he said.

Oleksandr Holubov suggested that the only thing that could prevent this is peace negotiations. He noted that earlier, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, during a conversation with U.S. President Donald Trump, demanded the cessation of Western aid to Ukraine.

“The only thing, in my opinion, that could prevent this is peace talks—if Ukraine eventually agrees to Donald Trump’s proposal, although right now it’s very hard to say what exactly Trump’s proposal entails. But I can imagine a certain constellation under Russian pressure that would force Western partners not to supply certain types of weapons to Ukraine, at least during a ceasefire. I highly doubt that this will happen. And it’s unlikely to happen, so to speak, because of Friedrich Merz’s preferences. But if there are no peace negotiations that imply this kind of scenario, I’m very confident that the Taurus missiles will be delivered to Ukraine,” the analyst noted.

• On March 18, U.S. President Donald Trump held a phone conversation with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, which lasted about two hours. They agreed that the path to peace should begin with halting attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. Moscow also demanded a suspension of mobilization in Ukraine and rearmament of the Ukrainian Armed Forces during any potential ceasefire.