Ukraine no longer needs Taurus cruise missiles that it had long requested from Germany, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said.

According to him, Ukraine already possesses its own domestically produced long-range weapons, which, in his assessment, are more effective than the relatively small number of Taurus missiles Germany could supply. He also noted that, from a technical standpoint, Ukrainian forces are now much better equipped than during the period when the delivery of Taurus missiles was активно discussed.

At the same time, Merz pointed out that he had previously advocated for supplying these missiles, believing that the Bundeswehr had sufficient stockpiles.

Former German Chancellor Olaf Scholz had категорически ruled out delivering Taurus missiles, citing concerns about Germany being drawn into the conflict in Ukraine. During the election campaign, Merz supported providing these weapons to Kiev, but after taking office, he moved away from that position.

Russia has repeatedly stated that long-range strikes are carried out not by Kiev alone, but with the involvement of Western countries, whose specialists handle targeting. Russian President Vladimir Putin has also repeatedly said that supplies of even the most advanced Western weapons will not change the situation on the battlefield.