{"id":315875,"date":"2025-08-04T00:35:09","date_gmt":"2025-08-04T00:35:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/315875\/"},"modified":"2025-08-04T00:35:09","modified_gmt":"2025-08-04T00:35:09","slug":"germanys-taurus-missile-dilemma-summed-up-in-4-words","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/315875\/","title":{"rendered":"Germany’s Taurus Missile Dilemma Summed Up in 4 Words"},"content":{"rendered":"

Key Points and Summary \u2013<\/strong> The UK and Germany have announced a joint project to develop a new \u201csuper-Taurus\u201d long-range missile with a 2,000 km range.\n<\/p>\n

-This future-focused collaboration comes as Germany\u2019s current Chancellor, Friedrich Merz, continues his predecessor\u2019s policy of refusing to send existing 500 km-range Taurus missiles to Ukraine.\n<\/p>\n

-Both leaders have expressed fears that Ukraine could use the powerful weapon to strike deep inside Russia, such as the Kerch Bridge, potentially dragging Germany directly into the war.\n<\/p>\n

-While Merz has shown conditional support for the idea if coordinated with allies, the hesitation remains.<\/p>\n

UK, Germany to Design New \u201cSuper Taurus\u201d Missile<\/strong><\/p>\n

Britain and Germany<\/a> have announced the launch of a joint military project<\/a> to develop a \u201csuper-Taurus\u201d long-range missile system<\/a>, German media reported on Thursday, July 17.\n<\/p>\n

The two NATO<\/a> allies have committed to \u201cwithin the next 10 years or so to develop a type of \u2018super-Taurus\u2019 missile with a range of 2,000 kilometres\u201d, as reported by Politico\u2019s Berlin Playbook newsletter.\n<\/p>\n

This missile would quadruple the range of the original Taurus KEPD 350 cruise missiles<\/a>, which were jointly developed and produced by Germany and Sweden<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Germany already has an estimated 600 of these, which have a range of 500 kilometers and are rated among the most potent weapons in the country\u2019s entire arsenal.\n<\/p>\n

The Taurus missile is more advanced, carries a larger warhead, and has a more extended range than the British-made MBDA Storm Shadow<\/a>\u00a0and French SCALP EG missiles that have already been provided to Ukraine.\n<\/p>\n

The Taurus has been a significant point of contention as Chancellor Friedrich Merz\u2019s government re-evaluates the position on sending this missile to Ukraine. The government of his predecessor, Olaf Scholz, had refused to transfer these missiles to Ukraine more than once.\n<\/p>\n

The concern was that Ukraine would use the Taurus to strike deep inside Russia<\/a>, such as the Kremlin itself or other targets in Moscow.\n<\/p>\n

Another prized target for the Ukrainians is the Kerch<\/a> bridge in occupied Crimea<\/a>.\n<\/p>\n

The 19-kilometer-long\u00a0bridge was constructed following Russia\u2019s\u00a0illegal occupation<\/a>\u00a0of\u00a0Crimea<\/a>\u00a0in 2014 and was finally completed in 2018.<\/p>\n

Taurus Missiles, Escalation, and a Bridge Too Far<\/p>\n

The bridge serves as the only major supply route for Russian forces in Crimea and has been targeted by\u00a0Ukraine<\/a>\u00a0multiple times.\n<\/p>\n

It suffered\u00a0heavy damage<\/a>\u00a0from strikes carried out against it in October 2022 and July 2023.\n<\/p>\n

The bridge has been a vanity project<\/a> from the beginning for Russian President Vladimir Putin<\/a>, a symbol that Moscow could continue to hold on to Crimea and link it with mainland Mother Russia.\n<\/p>\n

Knocking the bridge out completely would be a massive blow to Putin\u2019s prestige, as well as a significant psychological and moral victory<\/a> for the Ukrainians.\n<\/p>\n

The previous Chancellor, Olaf Scholz<\/a>, had\u00a0said more than once that this was why he did not want to supply the Taurus missiles to Ukraine<\/a>.<\/p>\n

This was due to fears they if they were actually used on Moscow, it could potentially drag Germany into\u00a0the war<\/a>.\n<\/p>\n

Speaking to voters in Dresden last March, Mr Scholz said: \u201c[The Taurus], which has a range of 500km and if used incorrectly could reach a specific target somewhere in Moscow, is a weapon where the question must be asked, \u2018what would be done with it\u2019, and this cannot be decided simply with encouraging statements.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\u201cTherefore, it is the case, and I put this in diplomatic abstractions, others have made sure they know exactly where everything ends up,\u201d he added at the time.\n<\/p>\n

In 4 Words: Boots on the Ground?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

In the past, Mr Scholz has also stated that Taurus missiles would require boots on the ground in Ukraine in order for German personnel to train Ukrainians in the use of the missile.\u00a0 This is\u00a0a step that he had ruled out<\/a>\u00a0because of concerns about subsequent escalation by Putin.\n<\/p>\n

Merz, the current German chancellor, has also repeatedly ruled out sending the\u00a0powerful Taurus missile system<\/a>\u00a0to Ukraine as he fears it could be regarded as a step too far \u2013 or a bridge too far in the case of the Kerch Crimean structure \u2013 by Vladimir Putin<\/a>.\n<\/p>\n

In an interview with\u00a0Caren Miosga<\/a> of Germany\u2019s ARD broadcast service, Merz<\/a> emphasized the need to support\u00a0Ukraine<\/a>\u00a0in moving from a reactive to a proactive stance on the\u00a0battlefield<\/a>, saying Kyiv must be equipped to \u201cshape events\u201d and \u201cget ahead of the situation.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

Merz also clarified that he was not calling for direct German involvement in the war but rather for arming Ukraine with the capability to take the initiative.\n<\/p>\n

The German politician has previously voiced support for supplying Taurus missiles to Ukraine, but also stressed that such a step must be coordinated with\u00a0European allies<\/a>.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cOur European partners are already supplying cruise missiles,\u201d he reiterated on April 13, citing British, French, and U.S. efforts.\u00a0 \u201cIf it is coordinated, then\u00a0Germany<\/a>\u00a0should participate in it.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\u201cIf things continue as they are, if, for example, the most important land connection between\u00a0Russia<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Crimea<\/a>\u00a0is destroyed, or if something happens on Crimea itself, where most of the Russian military logistics are located, then that would be an opportunity to bring this country strategically back into the picture finally,\u201d Merz said.\n<\/p>\n

About the Author: Reuben F. Johnson<\/strong><\/p>\n

Reuben F. Johnson<\/a> has thirty-six years of experience analyzing and reporting on foreign weapons systems, defense technologies, and international arms export policy. Johnson is the Director of Research at the Casimir Pulaski Foundation<\/a>. He is also a survivor of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. He worked for years in the American defense industry as a foreign technology analyst and later as a consultant for the U.S. Department of Defense, the Departments of the Navy and Air Force, and the governments of the United Kingdom and Australia. In 2022-2023, he won two awards in a row for his defense reporting. He holds a bachelor\u2019s degree from DePauw University and a master\u2019s degree from Miami University in Ohio, specializing in Soviet and Russian studies. He lives in Warsaw.\n<\/p>\n

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