Zelensky's missile plea met with silence from Germany
Volodymyr Zelensky has once again contacted Olaf Scholz, requesting help with Taurus cruise missiles, whose capabilities we outline. However, as Bild, citing its sources, reported, the German chancellor ignored this request.
"Zelensky has made no progress in implementing the two main demands of his victory plan. Therefore, from the Ukrainian point of view, the European route is a failure," assessed military and Ukraine expert Carlo Masala, as quoted by the German newspaper.
Germany ignores Kyiv's requests
The Ukrainian president sought Germany's support for speeding up Ukraine's admission to NATO and for the transfer of Taurus cruise missiles to the front. This weapon has been a topic of discussion for 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 posed too great a risk. They possess immense destructive power and have a large range, which means they could be used to strike targets on Russian territory, potentially escalating the conflict further. Additionally, there were suggestions that German soldiers might be needed in Ukraine to assist in using these cruise missiles. This was also seen by some German politicians as a step too far, potentially being 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 almost 1,100 lbs (500 kg) called MEPHISTO (Multi-Effect Penetrator, Highly Sophisticated and Target Optimized), 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 effectively eliminating 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 about 310 miles (500 km).
