Olaf Scholz refuses to send Taurus missiles to Ukraine

James Rothwell
·2 min read
1
Olaf Scholz tells a press conference that providing Ukraine with Taurus missiles would be an escalation of the war
Olaf Scholz tells a press conference that providing Ukraine with Taurus missiles would be an escalation of the war - Halil Sagirkaya/Anadolu via Getty Images
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.

Olaf Scholz is continuing to refuse to send Taurus missiles to Ukraine, despite Britain and the US announcing new weapons deliveries.

Speaking to reporters at a press conference in Berlin, alongside Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, the German chancellor said: “As far as weapons systems are concerned, my decision will not change.”

Latest

US secretly sent long-range missiles to Ukraine

Read more

He was referring to repeated appeals from Nato allies, and German opposition leaders, to provide Kyiv with the powerful, long-range Taurus missile system.

Mr Scholz has repeatedly argued that German soldiers would need to be on the ground in Ukraine for the system to be used responsibly.

He has also expressed concerns that arming Kyiv with Taurus missiles would be too great an escalation in the conflict as they could be used to hit Moscow.

Mr Scholz is sticking to his decision despite the US arming Kyiv with its most advanced missile system so far, the army tactical missile system, or ATACMS.

The UK is also poised to send Paveway IV bombs to Ukraine, according to a post on X, formerly Twitter, by the BBC’s defence correspondent Jonathan Beale.

First used by the RAF in Afghanistan, the Paveway IV carries a 500lb (227kg) high explosive warhead and uses GPS and laser guidance to achieve high levels of accuracy.

Rishi Sunak defended his German counterpart Olaf Scholz over Germany's defence spending
Rishi Sunak defended his German counterpart Olaf Scholz over Germany's defence spending - Henry Nicholls/PA Wire

The US decision to provide ATACMS will likely increase pressure on Mr Scholz to follow suit and agree to sending the Taurus system, though his remarks on Wednesday suggest he has no intention of doing so for now.

At the same press conference, the German chancellor pointed out that Berlin had provided €28 billion (£24bn) in support for Ukraine, such as ammunition, air-defence systems, and tanks.

Mr Sunak praised Mr Scholz for Germany’s huge financial contributions towards Ukraine and past deliveries of defence systems, such as the IRIS-T.

“Everyone can bring something different to the table, so Putin can see his aggression ends in failure,” Mr Sunak said.

Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 3 months with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.