Ukraine Requests Taurus Long-Range Cruise Missiles From Germany - Reports

BERLIN (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 27th May, 2023) Ukraine has made a request to the German government to acquire Swedish-German long-range cruise missiles Taurus KEPD 350 with a range of up to 500 kilometers (310 miles), German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung has reported, citing government sources.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy raised the issue of the shipment of German missiles to Ukraine during his meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz earlier in the month, the newspaper said, adding that the German Defense Ministry confirmed that Kiev had requested Taurus from Berlin.

Earlier in the week, Roderich Kiesewetter, a German lawmaker from the opposition Christian Democratic Union, said that Berlin should abandon "red lines" in its approach to the Ukrainian conflict and provide cruise missiles with over 500km range to Kiev.

Western countries have been supplying military aid to Ukraine since the start of Russia's special military operation in February 2022. The aid includes both light and heavy weapons, such as tanks and other armored vehicles, missiles, drones, artillery and munitions.

On May 11, Ukraine was confirmed to have received its first long-range cruise missiles, which were sent by the United Kingdom. The 250km-range Storm Shadow missiles came with a condition that they would not be used to strike Russian territory. The Russian Defense Ministry said Ukraine had violated this condition and its strikes had resulted in civilian casualties.