Discussions about supplying Ukraine with German Taurus KEPD 350 cruise missiles have been ongoing for several years now, but without any results. Germany, which is currently one of Ukraine's key arms suppliers and provides significant defense aid, stubbornly refuses to supply this particular type of weaponry. This, in turn, has sparked a flurry of rumors as to why Berlin cannot supply even a dozen of these missiles.
The rumors have been fueled to the point that the U.S. is said to be blocking the supply of Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine. This is because they are not ITAR-free weapons, as they contain U.S.-origin components and therefore require Washington’s authorization for export, re-export, or transfer to third countries.
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However, according to German Aid to Ukraine, a video has recently surfaced that completely refutes this assumption—and it comes from Guido Brendler, Senior Vice President of Sales and Business Development at MBDA Deutschland, who answered several questions for David Matei.
In response to claims that the U.S. is blocking the delivery of Taurus missiles to Ukraine, Brendler gave a blunt reply: "bullshit." He also dismissed suggestions that Taurus cruise missiles may already have been deployed in Ukraine.
As noted by German Aid to Ukraine, the question of whether Ukraine needs the Taurus today is a pressing one, since it now possesses a range of its own long-range weapons, including cruise missiles that have already demonstrated successful strikes against targets on russian territory. For example, the recent strike on the VNIIR-Progress plant was carried out using FP-5 Flamingo cruise missiles.
The fact is that the Taurus is a highly sophisticated, low-observable missile capable of striking even targets protected by air defense systems.
Second, there is no indication of a shortage of long-range weapons, and even a relatively small number of supplied missiles would have made a difference by striking key targets in russia.
However, there are still no indications that Germany will ultimately agree to supply Taurus KEPD 350 missiles to Ukraine, although Friedrich Merz repeatedly discussed the idea before being elected German chancellor.
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