Ukraine pushing for long-range missiles from US, Germany, FM says
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy and German chancellor Olaf Scholz have discussed the transfer of Taurus long-range missiles at a meeting in the United States last week, Ukraine’s foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba said.
The move is part of Kyiv’s push for long-range capabilities that are critical to striking Russian targets in the deep rear, paving the way for Ukraine’s further counteroffensive.
While the United Kingdom and France have already delivered their Storm Shadow and SCALP missiles, their stockpiles are fast depleting, with the US and Germany still hesitant to announce the delivery of their capabilities.
The Ukrainian leader discussed the delivery of the long-range ATACMS missiles at a meeting with US President Joe Biden last week, Mr Kuleba said, adding that their transfer is "a matter of time".
"Just as we have successfully solved problems with other types of weapons before," he told Interfax-Ukraine in an interview.
The Ukrainian foreign minister suggested dividing the issue of military assistance into two parts—the stability of the supplies that have been available since the start of Russia’s full-scale aggression and the delivery of new capabilities, which currently include ATACMS and Taurus missiles.
"There is one part [of the issue], and it is clear from the president's conversation with US defence secretary [Lloyd] Austin that the US continues to plan and make every effort to ensure that the weapons, ammunition and shells promised to us in the required quantity are delivered steadily and quickly.
"But there is the other part that Ukraine has initiated, which is actually the joint production of weapons. And that is why we are holding the Defence Industries Forum in Kyiv in a few days," Mr Kuleba said.