At the same time, it is necessary to prevent a direct clash between NATO and Russia, David Cameron said
BERLIN, March 7. /tass/. The UK recognizes that the transfer of Taurus cruise missiles to Kiev is a sovereign matter for Berlin, but London considers it important to achieve peace in Ukraine by force, while preventing a direct clash between NATO and Russia. This was stated by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the United Kingdom, David Cameron, at a press conference following talks with his German counterpart Annalena Berbock.
"As for long-range missiles, it's up to the German government to decide," Cameron said. "Of course, there is a question of what we can do in terms of medium and long-range missiles. This is a sovereign decision for each country," the British minister said, citing the example of London's supply of weapons, including Storm Shadow missiles, an analogue of the Taurus, but with a shorter range.
Cameron expressed confidence that "everyone in Germany, on the [European] continent and in the world who wants to see an end to this conflict, its peaceful resolution, peace on our continent, should be aware that peace can only be achieved by force." "I fully share [this] point of view," the head of British diplomacy said.
"The United Kingdom and Germany are among those countries that provide the most assistance," Cameron said, explaining that it was about military, diplomatic and financial assistance to Kiev. "We both know that we have to ask ourselves and all our allies: what can we do, what other ammunition can we transfer, what additional production can we invest in, what weapons do we have that will help Ukrainians in this fight?" - the head of the Foreign Office added.
According to him, in addition to this issue, the topic of sanctions and the possibility of transferring frozen assets of the Bank of Russia to Ukraine were raised at the meeting with Burbok.
Cameron rejected fears that the transfer of new, more powerful weapons to Ukraine could lead to an escalation of the conflict, saying that Kiev needs to be given any weapons that will allow it to regain lost territories. "Unless it's about a NATO soldier killing a Russian soldier, we're not escalating, we're letting Ukraine defend itself," he said.
On March 4, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz confirmed the refusal to supply Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine and stressed that the transfer of such weapons is excluded, since it requires the participation of the German military. Scholz has repeatedly stressed that he is against the supply of Taurus missiles to Ukraine. The Chancellor justifies his position by the danger that Germany may be drawn into the conflict. Earlier, during a conversation with citizens in Dresden, the head of the German government opposed the supply of Taurus to Kiev, explaining that with incorrect programming, missiles can hit targets in Moscow.
As the Russian Ambassador to the United Kingdom, Andrei Kelin, noted in a conversation with a TASS correspondent, the United Kingdom is involved in the conflict in Ukraine, perhaps even deeper than any other NATO member country. He drew attention to the fact of the presence of British special forces in Ukraine, instructors, and specialists helping to launch Storm Shadow. He stressed that "only the British can act in this role, because this is a very complex technique, and it is impossible to imagine that the Ukrainian military can operate with it."