The former Ukrainian ambassador in Germany, Andrii Melnyk, is insisting on the incoming Chancellor of Germany Friedrich Merz to immediately allow the delivery of Taurus Cruise missiles to Ukraine.
In an open letter published by the Welt -newspaper on Saturday, Melnyk Merz called on a shipping of 150 Taurus rocket rackets in the Bundestag on 6 May, the day he is chosen by the legislators by the legislators and to ensure their fast delivery.
Melnyk, who will be the ambassador of Ukraine in the United Nations in New York, described the delivery as essential for stopping the rise of Russia and shifting the dynamics of the war.
The weapons must be delivered, “without IFS and Buts,” he wrote, and added that consultation with partners or Ultimatums to Russian President Vladimir Putin superfluous.
The German Air Force has operated the Taurus system since 2005. Each rocket costs around € 1 million ($ 1.1 million).
Merz, who leads the center-right Christian Democrats, has said that he supports the long-range missiles to Ukraine, but claims that such a step would require coordination with European allies.
But Melnyk went further than just the rockets and insisted on the future Government of Merz to provide 30% of the German Air Force to Ukraine -including about 45 Eurofighter -Jets and 30 onornado aircraft -to maximize the effectiveness of the Taurus system.
In his letter, Melnyk spoke to the feeling of historical responsibility of Merz: “Not only the future of Germany depends on your success as a chancellor, but also on the fate of Ukraine – and of all of Europe,” he wrote.
Merz, he added, has a “historical opportunity to make Germany the most important beacon of the free democratic world.”
Center-left Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who now served in a role of caregiver, consistently excluded from sending Taurus missiles, referring to the fear that Germany could drag further to the conflict.
The Taurus rocket, with a reported range of up to 500 kilometers, can enable Ukraine to hit military goals far behind the front line, also within Russian territory. The US has supplied Ukraine with ATACMS missiles, which have a range of up to 300 kilometers, while France and the UK Cruise have supplied rockets with series of approximately 250 kilometers.
