UK would back giving German missiles to Ukraine
The UK would support Germany if it decides to give long-range Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine, The Telegraph reported on Wednesday, citing British government sources.
London has long backed arming Kiev with the German-made weapons, which have a 500km range and are capable of striking targets deep into Russian territory, the report stated. Moscow has warned that supplying long-range missiles to Kiev and allowing it to strike Russian territory will be considered an escalation of hostilities.
'We continue to work with our partners, including Germany, to equip Ukraine as best we can to defend its sovereign territory,'
a British foreign policy official told the outlet, commenting on the potential Taurus deliveries.
The report follows recent remarks by incoming German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who signaled he was willing to supply Taurus missiles to Kiev.
'I have always said that I would do it,'
Merz told German state broadcaster ARD on Sunday.
READ MORE:
Incoming German chancellor will change mind on missiles for Ukraine – SPD
'Our European partners are already supplying cruise missiles… The British are doing it, the French are doing it, and the Americans are doing it,'
he added, referencing the UK's Storm Shadow and France's Scalp missiles respectively.
The move must be agreed upon with Berlin's European partners, Merz said. His CDU party has said the missiles could be used to strike Russian command centers and supply routes, including the Kerch Bridge to Crimea.
Merz's stance contrasts sharply with that of outgoing Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who has repeatedly refused to give Kiev Taurus missiles and warned that the move could escalate the conflict and draw Germany directly into war with Moscow.
Merz is expected to take office in May, once his Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and Scholz's Social Democrats (SPD) finalize a coalition agreement. CDU defense spokesman Roderich Kiesewetter told The Telegraph that the missile delivery issue
'remains a point of contention'
in coalition talks.
READ MORE:
Medvedev brands incoming German chancellor a 'Nazi'
SPD members have expressed concern over the Taurus' range and power, arguing it poses a greater escalation risk than British or French systems. Party leader Matthias Miersch this week suggested Merz might change course once he receives classified intelligence on the missiles.
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, an SPD member, has previously stated there are
'many good arguments'
against the delivery, citing confidential national security concerns.
Moscow has repeatedly warned that Western arms supplies won't stop it from achieving its goals in the Ukraine conflict and that such deliveries only drag out the conflict and hinder peace efforts.
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