German Chancellor Olaf Scholz refuses to supply Taurus missiles to Ukraine

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has once again refused to supply his country's Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine, as the US and UK have just announced they will deliver the latest weapons to the Eastern European country.

Speaking at a press conference after talks with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in Berlin on April 24, Mr. Olaf Scholz reaffirmed that Germany will not change its stance on providing the Taurus long-range missile system to Kiev despite pressure from allies in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) military bloc and opposition leaders in Germany.

Chancellor Scholz made it clear that Berlin has so far spent 28 billion euros ($30 billion) to support Kiev with air defense systems, tanks and ammunition but has no intention of transferring Taurus missile systems to Ukraine.

Mr Scholz has repeatedly stated that German troops need to be present in Ukraine to ensure the system is used responsibly.

He also expressed concern that equipping Kiev with Taurus missiles would mark too big an escalation in the conflict.

The Taurus (or Taurus KEPD-350) is an air-launched cruise missile manufactured by the German-Swedish joint venture Taurus Systems GmbH and is in service with the armies of Germany, Spain and South Korea.

The Taurus missile weighs about 1,400kg, carries a 480kg warhead, and has a range of 500km.