NATO states to give Ukraine long-range missiles – UK
Kiev is about to get long-range weapons from its Western backers, known as the ‘coalition of the willing’, London said in a statement following a virtual call between leaders of the group’s member states on Thursday. The British government did not name the specific nations planning the deliveries or the exact weapon types.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer “welcomed” the pledges during the video conference, the statement said. French President Emmanuel Macron earlier said that some European countries were ready to offer security guarantees to Kiev once a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine is signed.
“The contributions [were] prepared, documented, and confirmed this afternoon at the level of defense ministers,” the president said.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has previously mulled the possibility of sending Taurus missiles to Ukraine. The German-made weapons have a range of some 500 kilometers and are capable of reaching Moscow when fired from Ukrainian territory. Merz did not make any specific plans involving the missile public.
Earlier on Thursday, the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) accused Berlin of secretly preparing a batch of Taurus missiles to be delivered to Ukraine, with their identifying markings removed to conceal their origin. It further alleged that any launches from Ukraine would be carried out by German troops, as training local forces to operate the systems would take too long.
Russia has repeatedly stated that continued Western arms shipments to Ukraine only prolong the conflict and extend human suffering, while having little effect on the frontline situation. President Vladimir Putin has listed an end to Western military aid to Kiev as one of the conditions for a ceasefire.
