[global Network report trainee reporter Li Ziyu] according to Russia Today (RT) reported on the 25thLaunchpadcryptogamesGerman Chancellor Schultz said at an event on the 24th local time that Ukraine had been asking for a long-range Taurus cruise missile for months, but Germany could not provide it because of its special nature. He also said that the use of such weapons with a range of 500 kilometers may lead to direct confrontation between NATO and Russia, and that he has the responsibility to prevent "the war from escalating." Prior to this, Schultz has repeatedly refused to provide Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine.
RT said that despite Germany's "generosity" in providing military equipment to Ukraine, Schultz firmly refused to follow the example of France and Britain to provide it with long-range missiles. During a question and answer session held in Berlin on the 24th, Schultz was asked why he was still unwilling to provide Taurus missiles to Ukraine when Russian troops resumed operations in the Kharkiv region.
"every decision must be thoroughly weighed," Schultz added, adding that he had a responsibility to prevent "the escalation of the war-triggering a war between Russia and NATO."
As for the Taurus missile, Schultz said, "it is only possible to launch (this weapon) if we define and determine the target ourselves, but that is impossible because we do not want to be involved in this conflict," the report said.
RT mentioned that Schultz also mentioned the German government's assistance to Ukraine so far, saying that Berlin has allocated 28 billion euros for military aid to Ukraine, making it the second largest supporter of Kiev.
Reported that Schultz 23 in the British "Economist" magazine published a commentary article wrote, "NATO does not seek confrontation with Russia, which is very important." He vowed that Germany "will not do anything that could make us a direct party to this conflict."
The report also mentioned that earlier this week, Schultz criticized former NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen and the Ukrainian government for the proposal to establish a NATO no-fly zone over Ukraine. "over and over again, there are people who say that it should be done this way or that way," Schultz said. I have a feeling that when a person speaks with his mouth full of spitting, he will not speak better. Schultz said he thought the idea of a NATO no-fly zone was dangerous.
The European edition of the US political News Network reported on the 17th that German Foreign Minister Belbock said that the Russian army launched a fierce offensive against the Kharkov region and the Ukrainian army needed more long-range weapons to attack front-line and rear targets. She said it was important to provide weapons that could be used "over medium and long distances"-a phrase that could be seen as putting more pressure on Mr Schultz to provide long-range Taurus missiles to Ukraine. But Schultz has so far ruled out the possibility of supplying these weapons to Ukraine.
The Taurus air-launched cruise missile has a range of 500 kilometers, can fly at low altitude and has stealth performance, Xinhua reported. France and Britain have provided Ukraine with "Scarp-EG" and "Storm Shadow" cruise missiles, which are similar in performance to Taurus and have a range of only 250km. Ukrainian troops have repeatedly used "Storm Shadow" and "Scarp-EG" to attack targets such as the Crimean Bridge, the headquarters of the Russian Black Sea Fleet and warships, causing considerable losses to the Russian side. Ukraine has been calling on Germany to provide Taurus cruise missiles to greatly increase the combat strength of the Ukrainian army. Schultz publicly refused for the first time in October last year and reiterated this position repeatedly. On March 4 this year, during a visit to a school, he once again publicly opposed the provision of Taurus missiles to Ukraine: "I am the prime minister, and I am in charge."