UK reportedly offering to send Kyiv more weapons and take Taurus cruise missiles from Germany in exchange
James Rothwell, BERLIN CORRESPONDENT
24 January 2024 •
Britain has reportedly offered Germany a swap of cruise missiles that could allow the government in Berlin a way to overcome concerns over a suggested arms delivery to Ukraine.
Kyiv has been pushing Berlin to supply its Taurus missiles, which could give Ukraine the ability to cause significant damage deeper within Russian-occupied territory, but the German government has remained hesitant because of concerns it could trigger an international escalation of the conflict.
Handelsblatt, a German newspaper, cited government and diplomatic sources as saying that the British government had proposed to Berlin several weeks ago that it could export Storm Shadow cruise missiles to Ukraine and, in turn, receive the German Taurus missiles.
The office of Olaf Scholz, the German chancellor, has been analysing the proposal, the report added.
The German government declined to comment.
A spokesman for the Ministry of Defence said the UK and its partners, including Germany, continued to work together to equip Ukraine so that it could defend its territory.
The alleged disclosure of the British proposal is likely to cause further embarrassment for Mr Scholz, who has been extremely reluctant to send Taurus missiles to Ukraine for fear of prompting retaliation from Russia.
However, British Storm Shadow missiles can only travel 155 miles, putting Moscow beyond their reach. They have already been used several times by Ukrainian forces, including in a recent attack on the headquarters of the Black Sea Fleet on the annexed Crimean peninsula.
For Mr Scholz, this could prove to be a less provocative move by Germany which would still allow him to save face by providing indirect military support to Ukraine.
A person familiar with the negotiations said the proposed swap could potentially find support in Berlin.
The German government has repeatedly said it will only act in concert with Washington on arms deliveries to Ukraine.
“The German government has repeatedly said it will only act in concert with Washington on arms deliveries to Ukraine.”
So that means no more weapons from Germany? The German defence ministry are saying they know nothing about this deal.
https://www.politico.eu/article/germany-defence-minister-boris-pistorius-missile-swap-united-kingdom/
I’m in Germany and i think i can confirm this is a done deal. It keeps flashing through the news here all day.
Germany can send these Taurus to the UK. Whatever the UK do with them, has nothing to do with Scholtz, he can go back to appeasing muscovy.
Hofreiter (Greens) said ‘The UK can deliver, we can’t!’. Sharply criticizing Scholz.
Imagine the Greens were originally a pacifist party!!!
Killing orcs is the way to achieve peace.
Trump’s magaputler minions are helping him to kill Ukraine even before he can become president.
It seems now that the USA is an ally to Ukraine in name only.
There are obvious solutions:
1/ Give Ukraine the $350 billion of putinaZi cash so she can fund the defeat of putler herself.
Or :
2/ The EU should pay the $62 billion of American supplies earmarked for Ukraine as a commercial transaction and the deliveries can go ahead.
I now watched the latest news. The Greens, CDU and FDP criticized that Taurus won’t be shipped to Ukraine but the UK instead, calling it a cowardly move. No word about vetoing it.
Scholz is a sorry example of a “man”.
Seems most the western so called leaders are sorrybexamples of leadership
They certainly are the wrong leaders when there’s a major war going on.