Germany stalls as Zelensky's missile plea meets silence
Volodymyr Zelensky once again contacted Olaf Scholz with a request for assistance in the form of Taurus cruise missiles, whose capabilities we outline. However, as Bild reported, citing its sources, the German Chancellor ignored this request.
Zelensky has not advanced in fulfilling the two key objectives of his victory strategy. As a result, from Ukraine’s perspective, the European path appears to have been unsuccessful, explains a military and Ukraine expert Carlo Masala.
Germany ignores Kyiv's requests
The Ukrainian president sought Germany's support for the rapid procedure of Ukraine's admission to NATO and the provision of Taurus cruise missiles to the front. This weapon has been discussed in the context of the Ukrainian army for months, but previous requests were rejected, and the latest was ignored.
According to the German newspaper, "Scholz did not say a firm no," but "there was also no positive response from him." Previously, some German politicians claimed that transferring these weapons was too significant a risk. They provide immense destructive power and a large range, which means they could be used to strike targets located on Russian territory, potentially contributing to further conflict escalation. Additionally, there were suggestions that it would be necessary to send German soldiers to Ukraine to assist in the use of these cruise missiles. Some German politicians also perceived this as steps too far-reaching, which could be interpreted as Germany's involvement in the war.
Long-range missiles
Some other European countries do not share the same concerns as Germany. The United Kingdom and France are supplying Ukraine with Storm Shadow and SCALP-EG cruise missiles, which are referred to by Ukrainians as "weapons of victory".
Taurus cruise missiles have even greater capabilities. They feature a warhead weighing nearly 500 kilograms, called MEPHISTO (Multi-Effect Penetrator, Highly Sophisticated and Target Optimised), which can be detonated like a classic high-explosive fragmentation shell or with a delay after penetrating a specified number of obstacles. This second option allows for the effective elimination of underground enemy positions. The Koreans recently demonstrated the destruction of bunkers using this weapon during exercises. The range of Taurus cruise missiles is estimated at 500 kilometres.
