Scholz does not change position on long-range weapons for Ukraine despite US authorisation for strikes

Wolfgang Büchner, a member of the German government, has said that Chancellor Olaf Scholz is not ready to transfer long-range Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine despite the US authorising ATACMS strikes on Russian territory.

As reported by AFP, Büchner said that Scholz’s position on this issue remains unchanged.

Büchner added that Scholz had made clear commitments on the issue and said he would not change his position.

He pointed out that it was important for Scholz that this war did not escalate.

"For this reason, Chancellor Scholz did not want to cross certain boundaries... in his military support for Ukraine," Büchner said.  

As previously reported by the media, US President Joe Biden for the first time granted Ukraine authorisation to use long-range US weapons in Russia.

The Axios portal stressed that this currently referred to the territory of Russia’s Kursk Oblast, and the decision was intended as a reaction to the involvement of North Korean troops in the war.