05.11.2026
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy explained how Germany could benefit from transferring long-range Taurus missiles to Kyiv. He cited the IRIS-T air defense system, which Ukraine uses to protect itself from Russian attacks, as an example.
The head of state stated this in an interview with ZDF. He emphasized that the use of German weapons in real war conditions helps manufacturers identify and eliminate their shortcomings, and also increases the value of their products.
Zelensky called the Taurus issue sensitive and at the same time responded to critics who ask what Ukraine does for the countries that provide it with assistance.
According to the president, Ukraine’s combat experience has helped IRIS-T become one of the most famous and sought-after air defense systems in the world. He noted that such means of protection are necessary for Ukrainians, but their use at the same time opens up new opportunities for the German defense industry.
“We made IRIS-T the number one brand in the world after Patriot, which are anti-ballistic. Now this system costs from 600 thousand to about one and a half million. They also tightened up all the problematic issues, because only in a real war can you really get rid of the weaknesses of a particular defense. Germany has a queue for orders for 10-20 years. The cost of the missile has increased many times, dozens of times,” Zelensky said.
After the US failed to provide Kyiv with anti-ballistic missiles for air defense, Ukraine has only one option – to destroy Russian launchers , the head of state noted.
“They have built entire sites and are killing us, and we cannot defend ourselves. These are not civilian facilities, not infrastructure, not energy. That is why we really wanted to order Taurus. Not just order, but also test them. This is beneficial to both sides,” Zelenskyy said.
OBOZ.UA previously reported that Bundestag member from the Christian Democratic Union Roderich Kiesewetter urged Chancellor Friedrich Merz not to postpone the decision on transferring long-range Taurus to Ukraine. He recalled that Germany should have provided this weapon two or three years ago, and now it could at least start training the Ukrainian military to work with it.
According to Kiesewetter, Taurus would expand the capabilities of Ukrainian defenders in the fight against Russian troops, in particular, they would allow them to hit bunkers, underground production facilities and command posts. The MP also believes that Berlin could increase the production of such weapons and allow other countries willing to transfer them to Kyiv to do so.
Will Merz ever grow a spine?