Germany doubts on Taurus missiles shifting frontline dynamics

6 November, 2023 TAURUS KEPD 350 cruise missile. Photo credits: South Korean Defense Ministry from Getty Images Germany has not yet decided whether to provide Ukraine with Taurus cruise missiles as part of its military aid.

The authorities also doubt that the use of Taurus cruise missiles can drastically change the situation at the front. Boris Pistorius, German Defense Minister, voiced his thoughts at the NATO Talk conference in Berlin on November 6, 2023, according to the Ukrinform news agency. "I don't think the missiles will be a game changer," Pistorius said.

He noted that he had nothing new to say on the issue of giving Ukraine these cruise missiles. The minister said that Germany should not ignore its own interests when providing assistance, without specifying what he meant.

Boris Pistorius, Minister of Defense of the Federal Republic of Germany. Photo: Ministry of Defense of Germany

Pistorius also noted that the German federal government has to check every step in the supply of weapons systems, and such decisions are not easy.

"The ATACMS, which the U.S. sent to Ukraine, has a range of 160 km, and the Taurus has a range of 500 km. This is a completely different system," Pistorius emphasized. He also reminded that Germany is currently the second largest supplier of weapons to Ukraine after the United States.

According to him, German weapons help save lives and protect infrastructure in Ukraine every day. In September, Militarnyi reported that Germany had postponed the decision to provide the Ukrainian military with Taurus cruise missiles due to concerns of some German officials. Some German officials are concerned that the transfer of the missiles could bring Berlin closer to a direct confrontation with Russia.

According to officials, if the Taurus transfer is approved, the missile's range will be shortened to "minimize the risk of using it to strike Russia".

TAURUS KEPD 350 air-launched cruise missile.

Photo credits: Saab

In late May, the German newspaper Spiegel reported that Ukraine had made an official request to Germany for Taurus cruise missiles.

Taurus cruise missiles, together with the French-British Storm Shadow/SCALP EG, which Ukraine is already using, will allow striking Russian military infrastructure in the occupied territory at long distances.