Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said today that he does not understand why Germany has not yet given the green light for the delivery of Taurus cruise missiles to Kiev, while the Ukrainian counter-offensive has been underway for months.

“It’s only a matter of time. And I don’t understand why we are wasting time,” Kuleba said at the press conference he gave together with his German counterpart, Analena Berbock, who made a surprise visit to Kiev.

“We say to the German government: we respect your discussions, your procedures but as far as we know about the Taurus missiles, there is not a single argument against” delivering them to Ukraine, Kuleba added. “The sooner it is done, the more it will be appreciated. It’s very simple,” the Ukrainian minister continued, at a time when Kiev is relentlessly asking the West for more weapons and equipment to drive the Russians out of Ukrainian territory.

Burbock told reporters that “as with the previous (arms) deliveries we’ve made, all the issues have to be resolved first.”

On her arrival in Kiev earlier, Burbock pledged Germany’s continued support for Ukraine, in the economic, military and humanitarian fields, and praised the progress the country has made on its path to EU membership.

This is Burbok’s fourth visit to Ukraine since the start of the Russian invasion in February 2022.

Ukraine was granted candidate status a year ago and hopes to begin formal negotiations with Brussels this year. Burbok commented that Kyiv has already made “good progress” in some areas, notably reforming the judicial system, but still “has a long way to go” in fighting endemic corruption.

Burbok also expressed her dismay at the forced transfer of young children from Ukraine to Russia, saying that Russian President Vladimir Putin is “not giving a shit” in his attempt to crush the Ukrainian people. “Nothing justifies waging this war on the backs of the most innocent, the children. The first step towards peace would be for Putin to let these children go home,” he said.