Germany divided over potential delivery of long-range Taurus missiles to Ukraine
Germany's Chancellor Friedrich Merz recently announced he would not publicly lead the debate on delivering long-range Taurus missiles to Ukraine. However, as reported by NTV, these discussions are already in full swing, particularly within the Chancellor's own party, with increasing calls for missile deliveries to Ukraine.
The CDU/CSU circles are voicing growing demands for providing Ukraine with long-range weaponry. Roderich Kiesewetter, CDU's foreign policy expert, told Augsburger Allgemeine that it's finally time to prepare and deliver the Taurus system. He asserted that these missiles could "at least partially alleviate challenges" and thereby help protect Ukraine's civilian population if provided in large quantities.
CDU policymaker and Chairman of the Bundestag's Defense Committee, Thomas Rehoukamp, echoed this perspective. In an interview with Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, he stated, Merz "dismissed the range limitation argument by calling for its removal." Although Rehoukamp noted this isn't a commitment to provide Taurus missiles yet, he emphasized that the reason behind previous denials no longer stands.
Anton Hofreiter, a Green Party politician, also supported the missile delivery. He termed Merz's statement as smoke and mirrors unless Taurus cruise missiles were shipped. He insisted, during an interview with Rheinische Post, that only Taurus could effectively target key Russian military nodes in border regions.
Security expert Nico Lange elaborated on ntv.de that Merz's statement is meaningful only if Germany delivers weapons and ammunition with long-range targeting capabilities to Ukraine. Lange is convinced that delivering Taurus still makes military sense.
"Recent airstrikes on Kyiv stress Ukraine's ongoing air defense challenges," Lange noted. "Believing all threats from missiles and drones can be countered is unrealistic. A device like Taurus could threaten runways launching Russian aircraft and later firing over Ukraine. This would vastly aid in strengthening air defense."
In contrast, Sarah Wagenknecht, leader of the pro-Russian leftist party "Alliance of Sarah Wagenknecht" (BSW), criticized the provision of such long-range armaments.
Meanwhile, at "European Forum WDR 2025" in Berlin, Chancellor Merz stated that "range restrictions no longer exist" on weapons to Ukraine—from the British, French, nor Americans, nor from us.
Previously advocated by Merz, the Taurus cruise missile delivery is now left within broader discretion. Under his government, details on specific military systems supplied to Ukraine would no longer be openly disclosed.
However, Germany later dismissed claims over lifting weapon range restrictions for Ukraine. Media sources report no decision has been reached on delivering Taurus long-range cruise missiles to Ukraine. It's unlikely any decision will coincide with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's Berlin visit on May 28.