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The decision on the supply of long-range German Taurus missiles from Germany can be made in one or two weeks, but the office of the German Chancellor is considering the option of limiting the range of these weapons.
As the German publication Tagesschau notes, Not only is Ukraine demanding that German Chancellor Olaf Scholz make a decision on the supply of Taurus cruise missiles, but pressure is also growing in Germany itself.
However, according to German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, it may take “another week or two”. However, in the discussion on the supply of Taurus cruise missiles, the German government does not expect a too quick decision.
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— If another week or two passes before a decision is made, then so be it, — said Federal Defense Minister Boris Pistorius at the first Westphalian Peace Conference in Münster.
He added that this does not mean there is no hesitation on the part of the government.
— The Federal Republic of Germany must allow itself this prudence, even if it is difficult for our Ukrainian friends to understand… Germany must weigh the consequences of each step, — he said.
According to a politician of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD), Taurus cruise missiles reach a greater distance than all other types of weapons delivered so far (Storm Shadow, SCALP-EG, — Ed.), and are “a very complex industrial product”.
— We're not talking about programming a coffee machine, — added the minister.
According to him, Germany has about 500 such missiles, and half of them do not meet “modern requirements.”
At the same time, government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit also emphasized that in no quick decisions will be made for the next few days.
— I don't see any progress on this issue, — he said.
Limiting the range of missiles is possible?
Ukraine has been demanding Taurus cruise missiles for a long time. In Germany, demands for the supply of such missiles are also increasingly heard. On Thursday, several Bundestag deputies from the “traffic light” (the governing coalition consisting of the SPD (has a red party color), the FDP (yellow) and the Green Party, —Ed.) wrote a letter to Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
Before Until now, Scholz has always refused to make a decision regarding the missiles, probably because he wanted to exclude the possibility of attacks on Russian territory, for which Russia, as Germany fears, could be retaliated.
However, according to Der Spiegel, the flight range of cruise missiles from the Bundeswehr's stockpile may indeed be technically limited. This follows from the results of an examination carried out by the manufacturer commissioned by the German government. This will require reprogramming the firmware.
According to the report, the German government has not yet issued a corresponding order, but not all doubts regarding the delivery of the missile have been removed.
According to Spiegel, the question of whether whether the Ukrainians will have to rely on direct support from the Bundeswehr or the manufacturer when programming cruise missiles is still being discussed in the office.
Berlin believes that stationing German soldiers in Ukraine is out of the question, so the manufacturer should also study the possibility of promptly training Ukrainians in the necessary procedures or the possibility of remote programming support. According to the report, the company believes both are possible — it's a matter of a few weeks or a few months.
