Conflicts: President of the EU Parliament calls for Taurus weapons aid for Kyiv

In view of Russia’s increased attacks in Ukraine, EU Parliament President Roberta Metsola supports the rapid delivery of German Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine. When asked whether the EU states – like the USA – should allow the use of long-range missiles against targets in Russia and whether Germany would also have to supply the Taurus weapons system, Metsola replied to the newspapers of the Funke media group: “Yes, that is also the position of the EU Parliament. There is broad support for this demand. We will see whether there is a corresponding change of course after the federal election.

Perhaps there could be such a change of course beforehand, Metsola added, because “there are different positions on the Taurus delivery in the Berlin coalition.” Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) has long rejected a Taurus delivery. He fears that this could drag Germany directly into the war between Russia and Ukraine. The FDP and the Greens, on the other hand, advocate supplying the weapon system to Ukraine.

The discussion flared up again in recent days after US President Joe Biden gave permission for the use of American ATACMS missiles with a range of up to 300 kilometers. The Taurus have an even greater range of 500 kilometers.

Metsola pointed out that the Ukrainian defenders were under time pressure. Ukrainian President Volodymyr President Zelensky rightly emphasized that Ukraine cannot wait forever for effective weapons aid just because there are always elections in a Western country – while in Ukraine people die in war every day. It is alarming that Russia is now escalating the war and intensifying its missile attacks with already many civilian victims, said the politician from the Christian Democratic EPP group, which also includes the CDU and CSU.

Russia fired a new medium-range ballistic missile into Ukraine in Dnipro on Thursday. The launch of the rocket obviously also served as a signal of deterrence to the West.