Germany’s Defence Minister Boris Pistorius stated that he was unaware of any plans for a missile exchange between Germany and the UK, Politico reported.
I don’t know anything about this offer. If there are talks about it, then not in my ministry.
German media reported on Wednesday that London had offered to transfer its Storm Shadow cruise missiles to Kyiv and in return, Berlin would fill the gap by sending its Taurus missiles to the UK.
Ukraine requested Taurus missiles from Germany last May, but German Chancellor Olaf Scholz rejected the request in October, warning that the delivery would lead to an escalation of the war. Pistorius argued that the German government should first determine “whether it is feasible or not,” before striking any deal with the UK.
“Taurus is a highly technical system, not comparable with the products of other nations.”
Berlin voiced concern that German cruise missiles might be better suited to attack targets, such as the Kerch Strait bridge connecting Russia to Crimea, than Britain’s Storm Shadow.
And that’s why we have to weigh up very carefully the conditions under which we do this. And at the moment there is no new status on this.
Pistorius did not exclude a possible supply in the future, but claimed that it would be decided in “further discussions.”
