Ukraine has asked Germany to supply it with Taurus cruise missiles to counter Russia. German media on May 26 quoted a German Defense Ministry spokesman as saying that Berlin had received a related request from Ukraine in the past few days, but did not specify the number of missiles Kiev wanted.
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| Ukraine situation: Kiev asks Germany to provide Taurus cruise missiles, Russia emphasizes obstacles in peace talks. (Source: Youtube) |
Earlier, Federal Parliament member and defense expert of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), Roderich Kiesewetter, spoke out in support of the transfer of German Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine.
The missiles have a range of up to 500 km for Ukraine to “strike Russian military infrastructure far behind the front lines,” Roderich said.
On May 23, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius reacted cautiously to the proposal, but said he believed it was necessary to "support Ukraine with all the systems permitted by international law" that Kiev needed.
Ten years ago, Germany purchased about 600 Taurus missiles for the federal army, of which "about 150" were ready for immediate deployment.
Taurus is a high-precision weapon that flies hundreds of kilometers to its target on a pre-programmed route and is launched from an aircraft at a great distance. This missile not only has a long range but is also difficult for enemy air defenses to detect.
At 5m long and just 1m wide, the Taurus is much smaller than a fighter jet. It also has a range of at least 500km and flies at an altitude of just 50m, allowing it to fly below enemy air defences. The price of a missile in 2005 was around 1 million Euros.
* Also on providing additional weapons to Ukraine, White House National Security Council Spokesperson John Kirby said that the Biden administration has reminded Kiev that Washington does not support the use of US equipment to attack targets in Russian territory.
"We have been clear with the Ukrainians again about our expectations regarding attacking Russia. We do not want to encourage or facilitate that, we certainly do not want any American- made equipment to be used to attack Russian territory. And we have received assurances from the Ukrainians that they will respect those wishes...
In addition, the spokesman also affirmed that Ukraine has the right to self-defense and the US wants Kiev to be able to defend its territory, but Washington does not want the conflict to go beyond that scope.
* Regarding the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the Russian Foreign Ministry said that during a meeting with Chinese Special Envoy for Eurasian Affairs Li Hui on May 26, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov thanked Beijing for China's balanced stance on the crisis in Ukraine.
“Pointing out Li Hui’s personal contribution to strengthening the comprehensive strategic partnership between Russia and China, Foreign Minister Lavrov welcomed his arrival in Moscow in his new capacity. The two sides exchanged views on the situation around Ukraine and the prospects for resolving the conflict. Lavrov thanked the Chinese side for Beijing’s balanced stance on the Ukrainian crisis and praised Beijing’s readiness to play a positive role in resolving this issue,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, Mr. Lavrov confirmed Moscow's commitment to a political and diplomatic solution to the Ukrainian conflict, and "took note of the serious obstacles created by the Ukrainian and Western sides to the resumption of peace talks."
The two sides expressed their readiness to further strengthen Russia-China foreign policy cooperation and "always aim to maintain peace and stability in the region and the world."
Li Hui's visit to Moscow is part of a tour of European countries by a delegation of Chinese diplomats aimed at resolving the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
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