KIEV/BERLIN (dpa-AFX) – After her visit to Kiev, Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock once again asked Ukraine to be patient with the delivery of Taurus cruise missiles. With other weapons deliveries we have seen “that systems cannot work automatically in an integrated manner with others,” said the Green politician on Monday evening in the ARD “Tagesthemen”. When it comes to cruise missiles, it is therefore “important that we clarify all the details before we make any final promises.” When asked about the military situation and Ukraine’s counteroffensive, Baerbock said that every day counts. “People have been living in captivity every day for over 560 days”.
Baerbock visited Ukraine on Monday for the fourth time since the Russian war of aggression began in February 2022. She also met with President Volodymyr Zelensky and Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal. Her Ukrainian counterpart, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, had reacted with disappointment to Baerbock’s hesitant stance on the Taurus cruise missile. Ukrainian soldiers and civilians were killed because the federal government waited. “There is not a single objective argument against it,” emphasized Kuleba.
Kiev could use the significantly longer range of cruise missiles to attack Russian targets in Ukraine far behind the front line. The federal government is hesitant about handing over the weapons – also because there are fears that Ukraine could use them for attacks against targets in Russia./mi/DP/jha