There is no new information about the supply of missiles in the near future, said German government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit
BERLIN, August 21. /tass/. Germany will continue to support Ukraine without feeling the pressure caused by the promises of Denmark and the Netherlands to transfer F-16 fighters to Kiev. This was stated by the official representative of the German government Steffen Hebestreit.
He was asked the question because of the discussion about the long-range Taurus missiles that Ukraine would like to receive from Germany. A common point of view among observers is that the decision on the F-16 may push Berlin to supply missiles. "We have never commented on the supplies of other countries, nor are we under pressure," Hebestrait said, commenting on such an assumption.
Answering the question whether a decision will be made on Taurus in the near future, the representative said: "It is important that there is no new information at the moment." He did not answer whether Berlin would assist in training Ukrainian pilots to fly the F-16. "I have no information on this," Hebestrait said.
As Der Spiegel magazine reported on the night of August 11, the German government is studying ways to supply Kiev with Taurus missiles from the Bundeswehr reserves in the coming months and is conducting confidential negotiations with representatives of the defense industry. According to him, Chancellor Olaf Scholz, by modifying missiles, wants to completely exclude the possibility of Ukraine striking Russian territory.
10 years ago, about 600 Taurus were purchased for the Bundeswehr. These missiles are considered an analogue of the British Storm Shadow, which have already been delivered to Ukraine. However, the range of German-Swedish missiles is slightly longer - up to 500 km. The Russian side has repeatedly stressed that the West's sending of weapons to Kiev and assistance in training the Ukrainian military only prolong the conflict and will not change the situation on the battlefield.
