US secretly delivers long range missiles to Ukraine, reignites German debate

The announcement by the US that it had already provided Ukraine with long-range missiles has drawn focus to the ongoing debate in Germany over the delivery of Taurus cruise missiles to Ukrainian forces. 

The US weapons system, called Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS), has a range of up to 300 kilometers (180 miles).

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, along with the majority of German lawmakers, have repeatedly refused to send Ukraine long-range Taurus weapons system, arguing that doing so would bring Germany into direct conflict with Russia. 

On Wednesday at a press conference alongside UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Scholz reiterated his opposition to providing Taurus missiles. 

"My decision will not change," Scholz said, hours before the US disclosed it had quietly delivered ATACMS as part of an assistance package in March.

An unnamed senior US defense official on Thursday told reporters that delivering Taurus was up to Germany, but that given the US decision on supplying ATACMS, and similar decisions in London and Paris to provide long-range cruise missiles, "we would certainly hope that this could be a factor," on persuading Germany to change its mind. 

'It's time' to send Taurus to Ukraine, says CDU opposition

Chancellor Scholz's position has drawn harsh criticism from the conservative opposition CDU/CSU bloc. Others in his ruling coalition, namely the environmentalist Greens and the neoliberal Free Democratic Party (FDP), are also in favor of sending the weapons.

"From my point of view, this is a very long-range weapon," Scholz told lawmakers in March. "Given the significance of not losing control over targets, this weapon could not be used without the deployment of German soldiers." 

Johann Wadephul, CDU deputy chairman in the German parliament responsible for foreign affairs and defense, said his party had been campaigning for months for the delivery of Taurus to Ukraine, but has so far failed to convince Scholz.

"It's now really the time to send Taurus because they are comparable to the ATACMS systems sent from the US, and they are very much needed in Ukraine," Wadephul told DW.

The Taurus missiles can make a difference, the politician said. "They have a little bit longer range than the American systems, and they are able to reach their their aims in a very sophisticated way," he said.

The Taurus KEPD-350 missile is considered one of the Bundeswehr's most modern weapon systems.

The missile, fired from the air by fighter jets, travels at almost the speed of sound and can strike targets as far as 500 kilometers (310 miles) away.

"It's not a silver bullet but Ukraine needs to really go deeper, strike deeper into the Russian head ground," Wadephul said.

Asked about Scholz's refusal to send Taurus missiles to Ukraine, Wadephul criticized the chancellor's "stubborn position."

"To stop a person like [Russian President Vladimir Putin], you need strengths, you need clearness and you need the will to win," he said.

How important are ATACMS missiles to Ukraine?

Yesterday, a US official said that the long-range ATACMS missiles were used for the first time on April 17 in a strike on a Russian airfield in occupied Crimea, about 65 kilometers (103 miles) from the Ukrainian front lines.

While the precision strikes behind Russian lines can make some Russian positions more vulnerable, the overall strategic value is limited, as Ukraine needs air defense systems to defend against Russian strikes on critical infrastructure, according to Marina Miron, from the Department of War Studies at London's King's College.

Miron told DW that ATACMS is an offensive weapon that is well-suited for destroying specific hard targets, such as command posts.

"But given small number of missiles that Ukraine has, they will have to choose the targets very carefully," Miron added.

She cautioned that ATACMS is only one part of a "very long equation" and Ukrainians continue to lack other essential equipment like artillery shells and air defense systems.

"While Ukraine will try to orchestrate those surgical attacks using the small number of ATACAMS they have at their disposal, the Russians will be pounding critical Ukrainian infrastructure with impunity because Ukraine does not have the necessary air defenses," she said.

"I don't think these ATACAMS will change the battlefield dynamics dramatically," she added.