German parliament has ‘consensus’ on sending Ukraine long-range missiles, MP says
A member of the Ukrainian parliament said on Monday his German counterparts had "reached consensus" regarding sending Kyiv Taurus long-range missiles, a move that Berlin has long been reluctant to do.
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"My friends in the Bundestag have just informed me that key parliamentary factions have reached a consensus on the transfer of long-range Taurus missiles to Ukraine," Yehor Cherniev, a member of the Servant of the People ruling parliamentary faction, posted on Facebook.
He added the Taurus missiles have a range of 500 kilometres and "can cover all occupied territories, including the southern coast of Crimea".
"We have been working with German parliamentarians for a long time to form a support group, and now the ice has finally broken. We are waiting for an official decision."
Germany's ruling coalition includes the Social Democratic Party of Germany, the Green Party and the Free Democratic Party.
The Taurus KEPD 350/150 is a subsonic, long-range, air-to-surface tactical cruise missile for precision strikes and destruction of highly protected and buried targets without the missile carrier entering the enemy air defence zone.
The basic KEPD-350 model has a tandem concrete-piercing warhead weighing 481 kilograms and an explosive weight of about 50 kilograms. The weight of the vehicle is 1360 kilograms, while the empty weight is 1080 kilograms. The maximum range is at least 500 kilometres.
According to the German defence ministry, Kyiv requested Taurus cruise missiles back in April.
Ukraine has already received several long-range missiles, including UK’s Storm Shadow and France’s SCALP.