European Parliament President calls for swift delivery of German TAURUS missiles to Ukraine
European Parliament President Roberta Metsola has voiced her support for the swift delivery of German TAURUS cruise missiles to Ukraine, amidst escalating Russian strikes on Ukrainian territory. In an interview with the Funke media group, Metsola responded affirmatively when asked if EU countries, similar to the U.S., support the use of long-range missiles against targets in Russia and whether Germany should provide Ukraine with TAURUS missiles
"Yes, this is also the position of the European Parliament. This demand has widespread support. We will see if this leads to a corresponding course change after the Bundestag elections," Metsola stated. She noted that such a course change might occur even sooner, given the differing positions within the Berlin coalition regarding TAURUS supplies.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz has long rejected the shipment of TAURUS missiles, fearing Germany could be drawn directly into the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. Meanwhile, the Free Democrats and the Green Party support providing these missiles to Ukraine. The discussion has regained momentum in recent days following President Joe Biden's approval for Ukraine to use American ATACMS missiles, which have a range of up to 300 km, to strike deep into Russia. TAURUS missiles have a range of 500 km.
Roberta Metsola emphasized the urgent need for assistance among Ukrainian soldiers. She noted that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has rightly pointed out that Ukraine cannot wait indefinitely for significant military aid simply because elections are taking place in a Western country, while people are dying daily in the war.
She expressed concern that Russia is escalating the war, intensifying missile strikes that result in numerous civilian casualties. On November 21, Russia struck Dnipro with a new medium-range hypersonic missile, "Oreshnik". This strike likely aimed to send a deterrence signal to the West.