Germany postpones the delivery of Taurus precision-guided missiles to Ukraine because of Chancellor Olaf Scholz's concerns that German technical specialists will be needed.
Some German officials are concerned that this could bring Berlin closer to a direct confrontation with Russia, The Wall Street Journal writes, citing German officials.
"German officials said the German coalition government had approved the Taurus delivery, but Scholz had stalled the move because of concerns that German personnel would have to come to Ukraine to help maintain the weapons," the newspaper said.
According to the sources, Scholz believes that moving German military personnel to the combat zone would require a parliamentary vote. Scholz is also concerned that such a move could allegedly "draw Germany deeper into the conflict."
"The Chancellor should stop blocking the delivery of the Taurus. Hesitation and technical excuses only serve to strengthen Putin's belief that he can still win, and this only prolongs the war," said Green Party MP Anton Hofreiter.
The chancellor's spokesman said that there is no plan to deliver Taurus missiles soon.
"Similar debates preceded Germany's decision to send German-made tanks to Ukraine. Scholz agreed to do so only after he convinced President Joe Biden to send American tanks. Since then, Germany has insisted on supplying new types of weapons only if the United States does so as well," the newspaper reports.
On 22 September, NBC reported that the US president had allegedly promised to provide Ukraine with long-range ATACMS missiles, but no clear date was provided.
Scholz's office is also allegedly concerned about whether these missiles will be used to strike Russian territory.
According to the newspaper, senior British officials said they had "briefed" their German counterparts in detail on how they were cooperating with Ukraine on their own Storm Shadow missiles.
According to the officials, if the Taurus transfer is approved, the missile's range will be shortened to "minimise the risk of it being used to strike Russia."
The Taurus is a subsonic, long-range, air-to-surface tactical cruise missile for precision strikes and engagement of highly protected and buried targets without the missile carrier entering enemy air defence zones. The base model has a tandem concrete-piercing warhead weighing 481 kg, with an explosive weight of about 50 kg. The maximum range is at least 500 km.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Burbock believes that the decision to provide Ukraine with long-range Taurus missiles should be made sooner rather than later.
The head of the Bundestag Defence Committee, Marie-Agnes Straka-Zimmermann, calls on the German authorities to provide Ukraine with long-range Taurus missiles.
Germany has not refused to provide Ukraine with long-range Taurus cruise missiles, Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said.