Pistorius Says Ukraine No Longer Needs TAURUS Missiles
Boris Pistorius says Ukraine no longer needs TAURUS missiles, pointing instead to €70 billion in EU loans and new financing for Kiev.
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said in an interview with Bild that Ukraine no longer needs long-range TAURUS missiles.
Asked whether he supported the transfer of German cruise missiles to Kiev, Pistorius said Ukraine’s priorities had changed. According to him, Kiev now needs financial resources more urgently, including loans from the European Union and money from a new financing fund. He specified that the total amount of this support is estimated at €70 billion.
Earlier, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz ruled out the possibility of supplying TAURUS missiles to Ukraine. At the same time, the press bureau of Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service claimed that Merz had ordered information about involvement in such deliveries to be classified. The German Embassy rejected those claims, stating that Berlin is not sending long-range cruise missiles to Kiev.
Russia has warned that TAURUS strikes against targets on its territory would be regarded as Germany’s direct participation in the conflict.
TAURUS is a long-range missile weighing 1,350 kilograms and capable of reaching targets at a distance of more than 500 kilometers. It can fly at low altitude, around 50 meters, following terrain contours and bypassing air defense systems. The missile is designed to strike fortified, protected and strategically important targets.