Scholz is convinced that supplying missiles to Kiev would be "irresponsible" since it could lead to an escalation of the conflict, the report said on Tuesday. Scholz also reportedly became "furious" after the head of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), Friedrich Merz, said that if elected chancellor, he would call on Russia to stop striking Ukrainian infrastructure within 24 hours, otherwise Berlin would supply Kiv with the long-range Taurus missiles.
Scholz told his party members that he considered the issuance of such ultimatums by a non-nuclear country towards a nuclear power to be dangerous "machismo," the report read.
On Sunday, The New York Times reported, citing unnamed US administration officials, that US President Joe Biden had for the first time authorized Ukraine to use US long-range missiles to strike Russian territory. The sources said the first strikes deep into Russian territory were likely to be carried out with ATACMS missiles.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the permission to strike deep into Russia, if it was accepted and communicated to Ukraine, means a new round of tensions and a qualitatively new situation in terms of US involvement in the conflict.