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Scholz’s refusal to give Ukraine Taurus missile “increasingly incomprehensible,” Munich Security Conference chief says

The Munich Security Conference’s chief challenges German Chancellor Scholz’s refusal to send Taurus missiles to Ukraine, saying Scholz’s rejection is “becoming increasingly incomprehensible.”

byYuri Zoria

28/04/2024

3 minute read

A Taurus KEPD 350 cruise missile at the ILA air show near Berlin in 2004. Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Scholz’s refusal to give Ukraine Taurus missile “increasingly incomprehensible,” Munich Security Conference chief says

Following the US delivery of ATACMS missiles to Ukraine, the head of the Munich Security Conference, Christoph Heusgen, has called on German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to reconsider his no to the delivery of Taurus cruise missiles. Since May 2023, Ukraine has been actively urging Germany to supply Taurus missiles to enhance their capability to disrupt Russian logistics, yet Berlin hesitates, contrasting with the UK and France’s decision to provide Ukraine with Storm Shadow/SCALP missiles and the US decision to send its ATACMS. The German government’s reluctance reportedly stems from fears of escalating the war by giving Ukraine the means to strike targets within Russia.

“In this context, the Chancellor's decision not to deliver the Taurus missiles to Ukraine is becoming increasingly incomprehensible,” Heusgen told RND. “We are currently experiencing how similar US weapons - the ATACMS - are having a major impact.”

The ATACMS missile, with a range of up to 300 kilometers, can strike deep behind the front line, though it has a shorter range compared to the Taurus, which can reach up to 500 kilometers and could theoretically target Moscow, RND notes.

"In recent weeks, we Europeans have had to painfully realize that our arms deliveries to Ukraine are not enough to stop the brutal Russian aggression," Heusgen said.

According to RND, Scholz stated that he did not want to supply the Tauruses to avoid drawing Germany into the Russo-Ukrainian war. Meanwhile, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius mentioned that the issue involves other security concerns, without specifying what these are.

"We Europeans must not sit back now, on the contrary, we must use the breathing space to prepare ourselves for long-term support for Ukraine,” Heusgen said, adding that only when Russian President Vladimir Putin is convinced he could not win this war, he would enter peace negotiations.

Scholz reluctant to transfer Taurus to Ukraine since last May

In March, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz reiterated his unwillingness to supply long-range Taurus missiles to Ukraine, stating in the German parliament that delivering them would require German staff support, which he deemed "out of the question" and a line he does not want to cross, despite experts asserting that German soldiers would not be needed on the ground to program the missiles. In an interview, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy stated that Chancellor Scholz’s refusal to provide Taurus missiles has been due to fear of Putin’s nuclear threats.