Ukraine wants to acquire Taurus missiles to strike Russian launchers
Ukraine wants to acquire German Taurus cruise missiles to destroy Russian launchers from which the occupiers are attacking Ukrainian cities. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized that the targets are military, not civilian facilities or the Russian energy sector. Kyiv is also proposing not only to procure these missiles but also to test them in real combat conditions.
Acquiring such weapons would help destroy Russian launchers. It is from these launchers that Russian troops fire the missiles used to attack Ukrainian territory. The president explained that Ukraine views the Taurus as one way to counter Russian ballistic strikes. He noted that the U.S. has been unable to provide Ukraine with a sufficient number of missiles for anti-ballistic defense. Therefore, according to Zelenskyy, there is another option—to destroy the launchers from which Russia fires ballistic missiles. “Why do we want to order the ‘Taurus’ missiles? Because when the Americans were unable to provide us with anti-ballistic missiles for air defense, we have only one option: to destroy Russian launchers. They’ve turned entire sites into targets and are killing us, while we can’t defend ourselves. These aren’t civilian facilities, infrastructure, or energy facilities,” the head of state noted.
Zelenskyy separately emphasized that Ukraine does not plan to use the Taurus missiles to strike civilian targets or Russia’s energy infrastructure. According to him, the targets are specifically the military facilities that Russia uses to attack Ukraine. At the same time, Kyiv is interested in more than just acquiring these missiles. Ukraine also wants to test the Taurus. The president believes that such cooperation could be beneficial to both sides: Ukraine would gain additional capabilities for defense, while the manufacturer would gain experience using the weapon in real combat conditions.
Separately, Zelenskyy responded to criticism from those who question what Ukraine is offering its partner countries in exchange for their military aid. As an example, he cited the German IRIS-T air defense system, which, he said, has become significantly more effective thanks to the experience gained from its use in Ukraine. “We’ve made IRIS-T the number one brand in the world after the ‘Patriots,’ which are anti-ballistic. Now this system costs between 600,000 and somewhere between one million and one and a half million. This war made that happen. We’ve also ironed out all the problematic issues, because only in a real war can you truly eliminate the weak spots in any given defense system,” the president said.
He also highlighted the economic benefits for Germany. According to Zelenskyy, demand for IRIS-T systems has grown so much that the order backlog is scheduled for 10 to 20 years. This means long-term contracts and jobs for the German defense industry. The president added that during the war, the cost of missiles for this system has increased tenfold. In his view, Ukraine’s combat experience has helped identify and eliminate weaknesses in the weaponry, while also increasing its value on the international market. Volodymyr Zelenskyy made this statement while explaining why Ukraine needs Taurus missiles.
Russia, according to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, is deliberately escalating tensions ahead of potential negotiations with the U.S. He believes that in this way, Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to provoke a response from Ukraine and secure a more advantageous position ahead of upcoming talks with the American side.
