Merz calls providing Ukraine with Taurus missiles ‘within the realm of possibility’
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz did not rule out a delivery of Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine.
“It is certainly within the realm of possibility,” he said in response to a question on the ZDF public broadcaster.
Merz pointed out that it would take several months to train Ukrainian soldiers to use the system.
According to Merz, a delivery in six months or a year would be “of no use to Ukraine today.” This is why military support for Ukraine is increasing, he added.
Earlier in the day, during his meeting with Merz in Berlin, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy once again expressed his hope that the Taurus cruise missiles would be delivered.
Zelenskyy first requested the missiles, which have a range of 500 kilometers, from Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s government two years ago
However, Scholz refused because he feared it would draw Germany into the war. At the time, Merz criticized Scholz, saying that he favors delivering the Taurus.
Ukraine says it expects Russia to present its peace terms in advance
Ukraine has said that it is ready for more direct talks with Russia, but has demanded that Moscow provide its peace terms in advance to ensure that the meeting is productive.
“We are not opposed to further meetings with the Russians and are awaiting their memorandum,” Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said in a post on X.
“The Russian side has at least four more days before their departure to provide us with their document for review,” he added.
Rustem reiterated that Russia had previously promised to hand over the ‘memorandum’ immediately after the biggest-ever prisoner exchange between Russian and Ukraine, which took place over the weekend.
Source : https://www.dw.com/en/ukraine-merz-announces-long-range-weapons-with-zelenskyy/live-72693164
