Latest news with #TaurusMissile
India.com
2 days ago
- Business
- India.com
Meet Taurus: Germany's powerful missile that can deliver heavy explosives..., has range of 300 miles, could arm Ukraine against Russia
Meet Taurus: Germany's powerful missile that can deliver heavy explosives..., has range of 300 miles, could arm Ukraine against Russia Taurus Missile: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy recently met Germany's newly appointed Chancellor Friedrich Merz in Berlin and demanded Taurus missiles from Germany. This demand comes after Merz said a few days ago that Kiev's Western allies have lifted the range restrictions on their missiles and will allow Ukraine to use them to attack deep into Russian territory. After Merz's statement, there is hope that Germany can give Taurus missiles to Ukraine, which has been a long-standing demand in Kiev. However, Merz promised Zelenskyy on Wednesday that Germany would help his country develop long-range missiles on its territory. He did not make any commitment regarding Taurus. Germany has been a major supporter of Ukraine and is its second-largest supplier of military aid after the United States. However, notably, former Chancellor Olaf Scholz was reluctant to supply Taurus missiles to Kiev because he did not want Germany to be directly involved in the Ukraine war. What are Taurus missiles? The Taurus is a German-Swedish low-cruise missile that can accurately deliver heavy explosives to targets up to 500 km (300 miles) away. It was developed in 1998 through a joint partnership between German missile company MBDA Deutschland and Sweden's Saab Bofors Dynamics. A powerful warhead allows the missile to penetrate and inflict significant damage on deep or hard targets such as underground bunkers, communications facilities, ammunition storage warehouses and ships. The Taurus missile can travel long distances even without GPS support. Germany currently provides Ukraine with short-range rockets, including the M142 HIMARS MLRS and MARS II MLRS. Western allies providing other weapons initially banned Ukraine from using its weapons inside Russia but allowed it to hit Russian targets within Ukraine. However, in November, former US President Biden lifted sanctions on US weapons, allowing Ukraine to use them in Russia's Kursk region. This came at a time when Kiev launched a surprise invasion of the region on its border.
New York Times
27-05-2025
- Business
- New York Times
Zelensky Is Expected in Berlin as Merz Steps Forward as Key Backer of Ukraine
President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine is expected to travel to Berlin on Wednesday in his first visit to Germany since Chancellor Friedrich Merz took office earlier this month. The visit comes at a crucial moment in the German-Ukrainian relationship. With doubts looming about the future of America's commitment to Kyiv, Mr. Merz has stepped forward as a leading figure in the European alliance supporting Ukraine. That has meant eschewing the cautious stance of his predecessor, Olaf Scholz, even as he faces opposition from within his governing coalition on expanding German military support. After Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, it took over a year for Mr. Scholz to invite Mr. Zelensky to Berlin. Though the Ukrainian leader has not been to Berlin since October, the one-day visit will be his third meeting with Mr. Merz since the chancellor took office on May 6. What are the leaders likely to discuss? A major topic of conversation will likely be military aid in general and, specifically, the Taurus cruise missile, a system jointly developed by Germany and Sweden. The large size, advanced navigation system and 310-mile range of the Taurus means it can accurately deliver bigger strikes deeper into Russian territory than other missiles in Ukraine's arsenal. The Taurus has long been at the top of Mr. Zelensky's wish list. Though Britain and France already provide Ukraine with their jointly developed SCALP/Storm Shadow cruise missile, the Taurus would be able to strike as far as bridges connecting the Crimean Peninsula to mainland Russia. Germany has provided or committed about $32 billion in total military assistance to Ukraine, including weapons and materiel drawn from German military's stocks, and training for approximately 10,000 Ukrainian soldiers, according to the German government. What has been Mr. Merz's stance on the Taurus? The previous government, led by Mr. Scholz, a Social Democrat, refused to provide the Taurus to Ukraine, fearing it would escalate the conflict. Mr. Merz repeatedly criticized that stance last fall, and during the election campaign earlier this year, he said that he would reverse it. At one point he suggested Mr. Scholz give an ultimatum to President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia, saying that as chancellor he would send Taurus missiles if Russia did not stop bombing civilians, though he later walked that back. In an interview in April, before Mr. Merz took office, Mr. Zelensky expressed optimism that the incoming government would reverse course. 'We will work on it,' he said. 'It's a little bit more than hope.' What has he said since becoming chancellor? Since taking office, Mr. Merz has been vague about whether he would send the missile to Ukraine. In his inaugural speech to Parliament, he hinted that he would expand the delivery of weapons and also said Germany would no longer publicly specify which weapons were being provided to maintain a level of ambiguity designed to help Ukrainian war efforts. In an interview with the German broadcaster ZDF on May 15, he said that the Taurus was 'not in the cards at the moment.' When Mr. Merz said Monday that Germany would no longer place range restrictions on the weapons it sends to Ukraine, the question about Taurus deliveries came up immediately. 'There are no more range limitations for weapons delivered to Ukraine,' he told an audience at a political conference in Berlin on Monday. 'Neither from the British, nor the French, nor from us. Not from the Americans, either.' But as he noted on Tuesday, those restrictions had been lifted months ago. And given that the kinds of weapons Germany has delivered so far do not generally exceed a working range of under 50 miles, the decision to lift limits has not changed the course of the war. 'Germany is currently not supplying any relevant long-range weapon systems,' said Roderich Kiesewetter, a former German Army colonel who is now a member of parliament in Mr. Merz's party. 'To create the desired strategic ambiguity, we should therefore send an initial, albeit insufficient, signal by starting the training of Ukrainian soldiers on the system.' How has the missile been an issue in Germany? Mr. Merz has faced significant pushback from members of the Social Democrats, the center-left party that governs in a coalition with Mr. Merz's conservative Christian Democrats. And behind closed doors, even some members of Mr. Merz's party are hesitant about sending the system to Ukraine. After Mr. Merz's inaugural speech to Parliament, members of the Social Democrats reiterated their opposition to the Taurus. 'We do not want to become a party to the war, and so we have always rejected the Taurus shipment,' said Matthias Miersch, the leader of Social Democratic lawmakers in Parliament. 'That remains our position.' The party had even written their opposition to sending the weapons system in the official program it used to campaign for February's vote. Lars Klingbeil, the finance minister and a leading Social Democrat, said Monday that Mr. Merz's comments did not represent a new policy, implying that his party had not shifted its position on not providing the weapon.
Bloomberg
27-05-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
Merz Says Ukraine Can Strike Deep in Russia, BYD Beats Tesla in Europe
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Ukraine has been given permission to use weapons supplied by its allies to launch strikes deep inside Russia. Germany had long refused to deliver the long-range Taurus cruise missile, though Merz has expressed approval of its use. In the markets, bonds rallied worldwide after Japan indicated it's looking to stabilize its debt market after weeks of rising yields. The dollar bounced back. In corporate news, Tesla's European sales roughly halved in April to just 7,261 units, with its market share continuing to erode despite a refreshed lineup. The decline suggests Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk's controversial politics and association with US President Donald Trump are hurting the brand's popularity. Today's guest: Karen Ward, JPMorgan Asset Management EMEA Chief Market Strategist, Greg Jackson, Octopus Energy CEO, Adam Posen, Peterson Institute for International Economics President (Source: Bloomberg)
