German Chancellor ready to send long-range missiles to Ukraine

Berlin [Germany], April 14: Friedrich Merz, who is about to become German chancellor, said Berlin was ready to send long-range Taurus missiles to Ukraine.
Christian Democratic Party (CDU) leader Friedrich Merz said Germany is ready to provide long-range Taurus missiles to Ukraine, according to the Financial Times on April 14. He stressed the need to help Kyiv move to the initiative and force Russian President Vladimir Putin to make concessions.
The CDU came first in the federal election in February, and Merz is expected to take over as German chancellor in May.
Merz condemned an attack on the Ukrainian city of Sumy on April 13 and said Kyiv needed support to "gain the upper hand" in the conflict. The Ukrainian side accused Russia of carrying out the attack that killed at least 34 people and injured 117, while Russia has not commented.
"Our European partners have provided cruise missiles. The British are doing it, so are the French and the Americans are already doing it. This needs to be agreed upon. And if it is agreed, then Germany should participate," Merz told ARD television on the evening of April 13.
Earlier, outgoing German Chancellor Olaf Scholz repeatedly rejected calls from Kyiv and its allies for the supply of Taurus missiles, which have a smart warhead that can cause serious damage to structures such as bridges and underground tunnels.
Produced by a joint venture between European rocket maker MBDA and Swedish company Saab, the Taurus cruise missile has a range of more than 500 kilometers, far beyond the Storm Shadow/SCALP missiles that Britain and France have supplied as well as the American ATACMS system. This will allow the Ukrainian army to strike deep behind the front line. Scholz said that the supply of Taurus missiles to Ukraine would lead to a "great risk of escalation" in the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper