Ukraine War: British government contradicts Scholz on Taurus issue

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Storm Shadow/Scalp cruise missile: overall strategic picture changed

Photo: BEN STANSALL/ AFP

The British government has contradicted Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) that Great Britain is directly involved in the use of long-range cruise missiles against Russian positions in Ukraine.

"The use of Storm Shadow and the target selection process are the responsibility of the Ukrainian armed forces," said a spokesman for the British Ministry of Defense when asked by SPIEGEL.

"The United Kingdom, together with other allies, is providing Ukraine with a range of equipment to help it counter Russia's illegal and unprovoked aggression."

The Chancellor's astonishment

At an event in Berlin on Monday, Scholz explained why the federal government would not deliver Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine.

“It's a very long-range weapon.

And what the British and French are doing in terms of target control and accompanying target control cannot be done in Germany.

Everyone who has dealt with this system knows that,” said Scholz.

He is surprised that the question about the Taurus cruise missiles is asked again and again.

The British Ministry of Defense, on the other hand, emphasized the benefits of long-range weapon systems.

Their use by Ukraine is “fundamental” in the defense of its territory;

Such weapons have changed the overall strategic picture by "successfully" putting Russian troops and their supply routes under pressure, it is said in London.

The Taurus is one of the Air Force's most modern missiles.

It has a range of over 500 kilometers and does not rely on geodata from satellites for navigation.

The precision weapon makes it possible to attack even hardened and well-protected targets.

Fear of involvement in war

There is apparently a fear in the Chancellery that Germany could be drawn into the war if Taurus was delivered from Bundeswehr stocks - be it because Germans would take part in the targeting or because the weapon could hit Russian territory.

"We must not be linked at any point or place to the goals that this system achieves," said the Chancellor at the chief editorial conference of the dpa news agency on Monday. The military differentiates between the target selection process ("targeting processes") in the Taurus programming the weapon so that it hits the target and disables it (“mission planning”).

The Storm Shadow cruise missiles supplied by the British have a range of 300 kilometers; in France they are called Scalp.

France has also already supplied Ukraine with it.

According to SPIEGEL information, there is also great surprise in French government circles about the Chancellor's statements.