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Germany’s finance minister has backed Kiev’s call for Berlin to supply cruise missiles, intensifying pressure on Chancellor Olaf Scholz to supply weapons to bolster Ukraine’s faltering counteroffensive against Russia.
Freedom Party (FDP) leader Christian Lindner, one of the most senior members of Scholz’s three-way ruling coalition, made a surprise visit to the Ukrainian capital on Monday to express “sympathy” for the idea of sending Taurus missiles to Ukraine. “. The country’s armed forces.
Lindner said Germany would discuss with its allies what was needed and what was possible. “Because I know that many people sympathize with this support, like myself, I hope that these issues will be clarified soon,” he told a news conference in the Ukrainian capital.
He later added in an interview with ARD broadcaster that while Germany was working on a decision, it would be “quicker and in a shorter time” than in the past. Lindner’s remarks were an apparent reference to previous painful deliberations in Berlin over whether to allow Germany and other countries to supply Ukraine with modern Leopard 2 main battle tanks.
Scholz has faced increasing pressure in recent weeks from Ukrainian officials and members of the German parliament to supply the missiles, but has so far refused to commit to weapons with a range of about 500 kilometers. The Taurus is produced by a joint venture between Germany’s MBDA and a Swedish subsidiary of Saab.
“As in the past, we will always check every decision very carefully,” the German chancellor said in an interview with ZDTV on Sunday.
Fearful of an escalation of the conflict with Moscow, Scholz has long taken a more cautious approach to arms deliveries than his Green and Liberal coalition partners.
Last week, the news magazine Der Spiegel reported that German officials were studying the possibility of limiting the range of the Taurus to ensure they cannot reach Russian targets.
A spate of bombings and drone strikes in Moscow in recent weeks has heightened concerns in Western capitals that their weapons are being used for more than defensive purposes.
Ukraine’s ambassador to Berlin, Oleksi Makeev, wrote on social media platform X on Monday that limiting the range of the Taurus “is like banning football players from the national team from entering the opposing half or taking penalty kicks”.
Lindner’s intervention comes as Germany’s largest defense contractor, Rheinmetall, announced it would send its Luna drone system to Ukraine by the end of the year as part of an “extensive” military aid package launched by Berlin last month.
The multi-million dollar order will give Kiev “one of the latest systems” for drone reconnaissance, real-time object detection and classification, the Dusseldorf-based company said on Monday.
Rheinmetall confirmed that the Luna drones are purely reconnaissance systems, meaning they cannot be used to attack Russian targets.
The Luna system previously used by the German government, called Husar, consists of a ground control station with multiple drones, a launch catapult, safety nets for landing and equipment for quick repairs. The company says it has a flight time of 12 hours and is capable of activities over a range of “hundreds of kilometers”.
“If Germany decides to join the Long-Range Missile Alliance by supplying Taurus missiles, it will bring victory closer and will be a very welcome development,” said Ukrainian defense minister adviser Yury Sak.
Sack said Kiev had received British and French long-range missiles and was using them “effectively”. “The only missing missile will be the American ATACMS, which we hope will follow, because these types of missiles, like all the weapons we ask for, are a primary need to save the lives of Ukrainian soldiers and people.”
Germany’s defense industry has been revived by the war in Europe, and companies such as Rheinmetall have become popular with investors not long after many funds were deemed largely untouchable due to ESG investment standards.
Rheinmetall is one of the biggest beneficiaries of Scholz’s Zeitenwende (or “Turning Point”) defense policy for Europe’s largest economy, which also comes with a special military fund of 100 billion euros.
It also made Rheinmetall Chief Executive Armin Papperger one of the most outspoken defense executives in Europe, who has often criticized Berlin and other governments for not placing enough orders for Ukrainian military equipment.
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