The German chancellor and his defense minister have doubled down on their decision not to send long-range missiles to Ukraine.
The answer is still nein.
The United States and the United Kingdom have said they will send fresh batches of long-range cruise missiles to Ukraine this week, but while Germany ramps up pressure on its allies to donate air defense systems to the embattled country, there’s no sign Chancellor Olaf Scholz will budge on sending the German military’s available Taurus long-range missiles.
Scholz’s refusal to send the weapons “remains the case” despite new pledges from the U.S. and the U.K., German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said during an interview on German public television late Wednesday.
This is the best summary I could come up with:
The United States and the United Kingdom have said they will send fresh batches of long-range cruise missiles to Ukraine this week, but while Germany ramps up pressure on its allies to donate air defense systems to the embattled country, there’s no sign Chancellor Olaf Scholz will budge on sending the German military’s available Taurus long-range missiles.
His explanation has evolved over time, but Scholz has repeatedly underscored the dangers of escalation, warning the move could lead to direct military conflict with Russia.
“Scholz is not betting on a Ukrainian victory but on negotiations with Putin,” said Norbert Röttgen, a senior lawmaker with the opposition Christian Democrats.
German officials say there’s been too much emphasis on Taurus missiles and have touted Berlin’s other forms of support for Ukraine, including air defense.
Germany this month launched a platform for allies to find and fund more air defense systems for Ukraine, especially Patriot models.
During his Wednesday television interview, Pistorius, a social democrat, said Berlin “expects” its allies to send their unused Patriot systems to Ukraine, and expressed surprise at the failure of countries such as Greece and Spain to do so.
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