Sevim Dagdelen, a member of Germany's opposition Left Party, has voiced concerns about the Taurus long-range cruise missiles. He fears that these missiles, intended for delivery to Kiev by Berlin, might potentially be equipped with nuclear warheads.
According to a recent parliamentary request, the lawmaker expressed her curiosity about whether "the federal government is fully aware of the varying configurations of Taurus missiles and of their potential compatibility with nuclear weaponry."
She reportedly added that she would also like to know if the government would address the issue of limiting the range of these cruise missiles.
According to reports, Thomas Hitschler, the Parliamentary State Secretary of the Federal Defense Ministry, acknowledged that the requested information cannot be 'openly' revealed due to its 'classified nature'.
The remarks come after Dagdelen warned last month that ''Ukraine receiving the Taurus missiles, which have a range of 500 kilometers (310 miles) and are capable of hitting Russian cities far beyond the [Ukrainian] border, would lead to a further dangerous escalation and tangibly push Germany towards a direct war with Russia.”
She dismissed the German government coalition's belief that "Ukraine will be able to control itself and avoid hitting targets in Russia with these weapons" as "naive".
"After all, Ukraine is already conducting strikes on Russian territory, of which the recent drone attacks on Moscow were clear evidence," Dagdelen stressed.
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said that Berlin would decide whether to supply Ukraine with Taurus missiles within a week or two.
He emphasized that the reason for the delay in decision-making is not because of lack of trust or indecisiveness, but rather because Berlin is taking the necessary time to evaluate the potential consequences of every action. According to Pistorius, Germany must weigh “a multitude of political, legal, military and technical aspects” of the decision.
Germany, along with other US allies, increased military aid to Ukraine shortly after the beginning of the Russian special military operation. Moscow has repeatedly warned that such aid would further prolong the conflict over Ukraine.
German Finance Minister Christian Lindner recently said that Berlin intends to provide 5 billion euros ($5.3 billion) a year in military assistance to Ukraine until 2027. Germany has provided Ukraine with 22 billion euros ($23.4 billion) in aid since the start of Russia's special operation.