{"id":138985,"date":"2025-05-28T15:09:10","date_gmt":"2025-05-28T15:09:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/138985\/"},"modified":"2025-05-28T15:09:10","modified_gmt":"2025-05-28T15:09:10","slug":"what-are-germanys-taurus-missiles-that-ukraine-wants-russia-ukraine-war-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/138985\/","title":{"rendered":"What are Germany\u2019s Taurus missiles that Ukraine wants? | Russia-Ukraine war News"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has held talks with Germany\u2019s Friedrich Merz in Berlin, days after the newly installed chancellor said<\/a> Kyiv\u2019s Western allies had lifted range restrictions on their missiles and would allow Ukraine to use them to strike deep inside Russian territory.<\/p>\n

Merz made the announcement on Monday as Russia carried out heavy aerial bombardments on Ukraine and both sides launched tit-for-tat drone attacks<\/a>.<\/p>\n

That comment sparked hope in Kyiv and put renewed attention on the possibility of Germany supplying Ukraine with Taurus missiles, which the war-wracked country has long requested.<\/p>\n

However, Merz, in a joint appearance with Zelenskyy on Wednesday, promised<\/a> the Ukrainian leader that Germany would help his country develop long-range missiles on its territory. He did not make any commitments regarding the Taurus.<\/p>\n

Germany has been a key backer of Ukraine and is the second biggest supplier of military aid after the United States. However, former Chancellor Olaf Scholz was reluctant to supply Kyiv with Taurus missiles because he did not want Germany to be directly involved in the Ukraine war. He agreed to provide Leopard 2 battle tanks in January 2023<\/a> after pressure from his NATO allies. Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned<\/a> that if Western countries allow Ukraine to use their long-range weapons to strike inside Russia, it would put NATO \u201cat war with his country\u201d.<\/p>\n

Since taking office on May 6, however, Merz has deepened efforts to retain Western support for Ukraine amid efforts by US Donald Trump\u2019s administration to end the war. Trump has been critical of the US aid to Ukraine under his predecessor Joe Biden. But recent intensified Russian aerial attacks on Ukraine have angered Trump, who has called Putin \u201ccrazy\u201d.<\/p>\n

Ukraine believes the Taurus would be a game-changer in the war.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s what to know about the weapons:<\/p>\n

What are Taurus missiles?<\/p>\n

The Taurus is a German-Swedish low-cruise, long-range air missile that can accurately deliver heavy explosives to targets as far away as 500km (300 miles).<\/p>\n

It was manufactured in 1998 through a joint partnership between the German missile company MBDA Deutschland and Sweden\u2019s Saab Bofors Dynamics.<\/p>\n

A powerful warhead allows the missile to penetrate and cause significant damage to deep or hard targets, such as underground bunkers, communication facilities, ammunition storage warehouses and ships. The missile can also travel over long distances without GPS support.<\/p>\n

Although Ukraine already uses Western-provided<\/a> missiles from the US and the United Kingdom, some experts and Ukrainian officials believe this projectile would be the strongest Western missile to be used by Ukraine if Germany gives a green light because the others have only half of the range of the Taurus and cannot carry as much ammunition.<\/p>\n

\"Ukraine'sFrom left, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz speak with US President Donald Trump by phone during a European Political Community Summit in Tirana, Albania on May 16, 2025 [Handout\/Ukrainian Presidential Press Service via Reuters]
\nWhy hasn\u2019t Germany given Ukraine these missiles yet?<\/p>\n

Scholz\u2019s left-leaning Social Democratic Party (SPD)-led coalition government was cautious of escalating the war and possibly drawing in Germany, and by default, NATO.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s because Moscow has warned several times that if Ukraine uses any Western missiles inside Russian territory, it would be perceived as those countries directly entering the conflict. It\u2019s also due to the SPD\u2019s stance against war.<\/p>\n

Germany \u2013 which currently provides Ukraine with short-range rockets, including the M142 HIMARS MLRS and MARS II MLRS \u2013 and other weapons-providing Western allies initially restricted Ukraine from using their weapons inside Russia but allowed Kyiv to hit Russian targets within Ukraine.<\/p>\n

In November, former US President Biden, however, lifted restrictions on US weapons, allowing Ukraine to use them in Russia\u2019s Kursk region. That came at a time when Kyiv had launched a surprise offensive on the region on its border. Some experts said lifting the restrictions was a major help to Ukraine. It has since lost most of the territory it had seized but does continue to hold some Russian land.<\/p>\n

In March 2024, Russia tapped a top-secret conversation among Germany\u2019s military brass in which officials discussed whether they might be able to persuade Scholz to send the Taurus to Ukraine and whether the missile could blow up the Kerch Bridge connecting Russia to Ukraine\u2019s occupied Crimea region.<\/p>\n

Is Germany changing its stance now and will it matter?<\/p>\n

Berlin appeared ready to change its tone under Merz\u2019s new administration.<\/p>\n

As an opposition member, Merz, who heads the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU), had pressured Scholz to send the Taurus to Ukraine and for Germany to take a stronger stance against Russia.<\/p>\n

During his election campaign, Merz promised to support Ukraine more concretely, including by sending long-range missiles. However, his coalition government includes the SPD.<\/p>\n

On Wednesday, Merz promised Zelenskyy German support in producing long-range missiles on Ukrainian territory in what appeared to be a compromise position. The chancellor promised that financing for the project would be discussed subsequently at the Group of Seven summit to be held in Canada in June.<\/p>\n

Analyst Michael Bociurkiw of the Atlantic Council think tank told Al Jazeera the pledge was still \u201cpretty significant\u201d, adding that it was one of the first real pledges from Germany to Ukraine. \u201cI think it\u2019s a recognition of Ukrainian capabilities,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

On Monday, Merz had spoken to the public broadcaster WDR about the range restrictions enforced by NATO members and said there were \u201cno longer any range restrictions for weapons that have been delivered to Ukraine \u2013 neither by the British, nor by the French, nor by us, and not by the Americans either\u201d.<\/p>\n

Merz did not explicitly say that Germany would send the Taurus to Ukraine, but his comments sent many analysts into a speculative frenzy. On Tuesday, Merz clarified that he was specifically referring to his support for Ukraine\u2019s right to strike deep inside Russia.<\/p>\n

\u201cHence yesterday in Berlin, I was describing something that already happened months ago,\u201d Merz said.<\/p>\n

Merz\u2019s comments, however, attracted criticism from the SPD and from within his own CDU. Some said his statements and actual reality are contradictory.<\/p>\n

CDU lawmaker Roderich Kiesewetter said in a post on Tuesday on X that Germany was \u201cirrelevant\u201d in the long-range missile conversation because it has refused to send Ukraine the Taurus and he saw no willingness to do that under the current coalition.<\/p>\n

\u201cTherefore, we should also avoid making contradictory statements on this matter. \u2026 I continue to see no unity in the coalition and no political will to act appropriately and with strength and consistency in response to Russia\u2019s massive escalation. Such statements are therefore overall unhelpful because they highlight Europe\u2019s weakness to Russia,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n

Also on Tuesday, SPD head and Vice Chancellor Lars Klingbeil said at a news conference that there had been no policy change regarding delivering German weapons to Ukraine or the restrictions on their use.<\/p>\n

Expert John Foreman, who is affiliated with the UK think tank Chatham House, said even if Germany sends the Taurus at this point, its effects might be more of a symbolic victory for Ukraine rather than a tactical one.<\/p>\n

A Taurus delivery would arrive \u201ctoo late to change the overall trajectory of the war\u201d, Foreman told Al Jazeera, adding that Germany would have to supply a significant number to make a difference.<\/p>\n

\u201cRussia has learned a lot about the transparency of the modern battlefield over the last three years and has become more adept at dispersal, air defence and camouflage to complicate targeting,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

What other long-range missiles does Ukraine have?<\/p>\n