BERLIN (Reuters) – The German government is in talks with arms maker MBDA over the delivery of Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine, a source told Reuters on Friday, confirming a Der Spiegel report.
Kyiv is pressuring Berlin to deliver Taurus missiles which have a range of over 500 kilometers and are fired from fighter jets like the Tornado, F-15 and F-18.
While Britain and France have supplied Ukraine with Storm Shadow and Scalp cruise missiles, Germany is reluctant to follow suit for fear of their potential use against targets in Russian territory.
According to Der Spiegel, discussions between the German government and MBDA are about the possibility of reducing the range of the missiles, which is a fairly simple operation according to experts.
The German army has some 600 Taurus missiles, of which 150 are ready for use. Spain and South Korea also use the Taurus.
In June, the Kremlin warned France and Germany that the delivery of cruise missiles to Kyiv would lead to a new “spiral of tension” in the Ukrainian conflict.
The United States has so far refrained from sending its ATACMS to Ukraine, despite requests from Kyiv.
Cruise missiles are difficult to detect by air defense radars because they fly at low altitude. They are mainly used to hit targets behind enemy lines, such as command posts, ammunition and fuel depots, airfields and bridges.
Russia uses long-range missiles to destroy targets in Ukraine, including civilian infrastructure.
(Written by Sabine Siebold; Zhifan Liu and Corentin Chapron, edited by Jean-Stéphane Brosse)
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