Habeck: Green Party government would send Taurus missiles to Ukraine

German Economy Minister Robert Habeck, who is running as the Green Party's chancellor candidate in the upcoming elections, said on Sunday he would send Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine if elected as chancellor.

Habeck, who also serves as the sitting vice chancellor in Chancellor Olaf Scholz's government, was asked in an interview with Germany's public broadcaster ARD whether he would go against the current chancellor's decision not to send the long-range missiles to Ukraine.

He said that in his capacity as economy minister he had repeatedly decided on arms deliveries. "That was part of my job, and they were some of the hardest decisions I had to make."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly asked his allies for long-range weapons so that the Ukrainian military can attack Russian logistics centres and military bases far behind the front line and within Russian territory.

Scholz justifies his decision not to supply Taurus cruise missiles on the grounds including that they would enable Ukraine to also hit targets in the Russian capital Moscow.