Response to Russian escalation
Poland’s foreign minister hopes that Scholz will approve the Taurus
April 28, 2024, 2:39 a.m
Listen to article
This audio version was artificially generated. More info | Send feedback
Chancellor Scholz still does not want to send Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine. The reason is the concern that Germany could be drawn into the Ukraine war. However, Polish Foreign Minister Sikorski does not lose hope for a rethink.
After the delivery of long-range US missiles to Ukraine, Poland’s Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski is hoping that Chancellor Olaf Scholz will change his mind and no longer deny the attacked country German Taurus cruise missiles. “I hope the Chancellor feels encouraged by the events of the last few days,” said Sikorski in an interview with “Bild am Sonntag” and other Axel Springer media in Warsaw.
Sikorski described the delivery of US ATACMS missiles to Ukraine as a “reaction to the Russian escalation” in Ukraine, to which Germany also had to react. A few days ago it became known that Ukraine had received long-range ATACMS missiles from the USA. However, the Pentagon did not provide any specific information as to whether these were models with a range of around 300 kilometers or those with a shorter range.
The problem with range
The media reported that these were those with a greater reach. The USA had already sent ATACMS missiles with a shorter range last year. Scholz strictly rejects supplying Ukraine with Taurus cruise missiles. He fears that Germany could be drawn into the war if the missiles with a range of 500 kilometers were made available.
“The Russians have already shut down 70 percent of Ukraine’s electricity generation capacity. This is actually a war crime,” Sikorski continued. A conference on the reconstruction of Ukraine after the war took place in Berlin. But it would be better to prevent the destruction of the country, the Polish Foreign Minister pointed out. You have to be tough when dealing with Russian President Vladimir Putin as an aggressor in the Ukraine war. “I think we all know now that Putin only responds to pressure, to the harshest arguments of raw power.”