Berlin has expressed strong condemnation of Russia's recent attacks on Ukraine, calling them war crimes. However, the German government, led by Chancellor Olaf Scholz, remains hesitant to provide Taurus cruise missiles to Kyiv. German government spokesperson Steffen Hebestreit stated,
"There is no new status in this matter," while emphasizing the reprehensibility of attacks on civilian infrastructure.
This is reported by New Voice of Ukraine.
Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, head of the Bundestag Defense Committee, had earlier called for the transfer of Taurus missiles to Ukraine and urged the German government to expedite ammunition supply.
Expressed Irritation
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, during a visit to Kyiv in November 2023, expressed irritation and confirmed that Ukraine would not receive Taurus missiles from Germany. Scholz's reluctance is attributed to concerns that Ukraine might use the missiles to strike inside Russia, potentially drawing Berlin into a direct confrontation with Moscow.
On January 2, Russia launched a massive attack on Ukraine in several waves, using over 130 munitions, including Shahed drones, missiles from Tu-95 bombers, Kinzhals from MiG-31K aircraft, Kalibrs from the sea, and Iskander-M/S-300/S-400 missiles. Ukrainian air defense and defense forces successfully destroyed all Shahed attack UAVs and 72 of the 99 missiles.
The assault resulted in five deaths and over 130 injuries. This attack followed another massive assault on December 28, 2023, marking the most extensive air attack since Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022.
