Ukrainians invade Taurus
Melnyk praises the “quantum leap” of the Germans
08/15/2023, 4:25 p.m
In the debate about the delivery of Taurus cruise missiles, the former Ukrainian ambassador to Germany, Melnyk, explains why precisely those weapons are so important for defense against Russia. At the same time, he understands fears in this country – and praises Germany.
Former Ukrainian Ambassador to Germany Andriy Melnyk has expressed understanding for the German debate on the delivery of Taurus cruise missiles. “We understand the Germans’ fear,” Melnyk said on Deutschlandfunk, “that the country will be drawn into the war.” At the same time, the discussion must take into account that Ukraine urgently needs the weapons in order to stop the Russian attacks. They are also crucial for the success of the current counter-offensive.
At the same time, Melnyk was trying to gain confidence in his country. If Ukraine promises not to use the Taurus cruise missiles on Russian territory, then it will keep that promise, he said. Melnyk was ambassador to Germany for several years, most recently deputy foreign minister of Ukraine and has now been appointed ambassador to Brazil.
Melnyk: Hesitation helps Russians
Incidentally, Melnyk said that Germany had “made a real quantum leap when it came to supplying arms to Ukraine.” You can’t compare that with the situation a year or fourteen months ago. Nevertheless, according to Melnyk, the same patterns would be maintained on the German side to justify indecisiveness. In the case of tank deliveries, a lot of time was lost in which the Russians had built their fortifications. “Now you see how difficult our counter-offensive is, because that valuable time was wasted on discussions that at the end of the day ended up being decided in favor of logic.” It’s the same today, says Melnyk. “We have a very, very small time window for this counter-offensive.”
The Taurus debate is currently ongoing in Germany. According to a media report, Federal Finance Minister Christian Lindner believes it is possible that Germany will deliver the desired Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine in time for the ongoing counter-offensive. “I hope and think that that can be possible,” said the FDP chairman of the “Bild” newspaper, referring to a delivery during the Ukrainian counter-offensive. “In an ongoing war, speed is also an essential factor,” emphasized the minister. He personally “sympathizes with the demand for cruise missiles”. The prerequisite is “coordination with the allies and the preservation of one’s own capabilities for national defense”. In addition, Germany must not become a party to the war, emphasized Lindner.