German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is in favor of transferring Taurus missiles to Kyiv, but does not state this openly to avoid a scandal in the government coalition. British newspaper Times writes with reference to sources close to the Chancellor.

“Sources close to Merz suggest that he is still in favor of the transfer of Taurus missiles, but does not want to talk about it openly because he does not want a public scandal with his new coalition partners - the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD)”, - writes the Times.

The publication recalls that the previous German government, led by Social Democrat Olaf Scholz repeatedly rejected the idea of supplying Taurus missiles to Ukraine. 

In mid-April, Merz in an interview with the ARD TV channel, allowed Germany to supply Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine in coordination with European partners. 

On May 26, Merz said in an interview with the WDR TV channel that Britain, France, the United States, and now Germany have lifted range restrictions on military supplies to Ukraine, and Kyiv can attack targets on Russian territory with long-range weapons. The chancellor later clarified that the decision was made several months ago.