The former Ukrainian ambassador to Germany, Andrii Melnyk, is urging Germany’s incoming chancellor Friedrich Merz to immediately authorize the delivery of Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine.
In an open letter published by the Welt newspaper on Saturday, Melnyk called on Merz to announce a shipment of 150 Taurus missiles in the Bundestag on May 6, the day he is set to be elected chancellor by lawmakers, and to ensure their swift delivery.
Melnyk, who is to become Ukraine’s ambassador to the United Nations in New York, described the delivery as essential to halting Russia’s advance and shifting the dynamics of the war.
The weapons should be delivered, “without ifs and buts,” he wrote, adding that consultations with partners or ultimatums to Russian President Vladimir Putin were unnecessary.
The German Air Force has operated the Taurus system since 2005. Each missile costs approximately €1 million ($1.1 million).
Merz, who leads the centre-right Christian Democrats, has said he supports supplying the long-range missiles to Ukraine but maintains that any such move would require coordination with European allies.
But Melnyk went beyond just the missiles, urging Merz’s future government to provide 30% of the German Air Force’s inventory to Ukraine — including around 45 Eurofighter jets and 30 Tornado aircraft — to maximize the effectiveness of the Taurus system.
In his letter, Melnyk appealed to Merz’s sense of historical responsibility: “Not only does the future of Germany depend on your success as chancellor, but also the fate of Ukraine — and of all of Europe,” he wrote.
Merz, he added, has a “historic opportunity to make Germany the most important beacon of the free democratic world.”
Centre-left Chancellor Olaf Scholz, now serving in a caretaker role, consistently ruled out sending Taurus missiles, citing fears that it could drag Germany further into the conflict.
The Taurus missile, with a reported range of up to 500 kilometres, could allow Ukraine to strike military targets far behind the front line, including within Russian territory. The US has supplied Ukraine with ATACMS missiles, which have a range up to 300 kilometres, while France and the UK have delivered cruise missiles with ranges of around 250 kilometres.
