Olaf Scholz will not send missiles to Ukraine because they could be used to attack Moscow

Olaf Scholz has previously expressed concern about Germany being perceived as a party to the war in Ukraine. Photo: Michaela Stache/Reuters

Olaf Scholz said he did not want to send Taurus missiles to Ukraine because he feared they would be used to hit targets in Moscow and potentially drag Germany into war.

The German chancellor has repeatedly ruled out sending the powerful Taurus missile system to Ukraine because he fears Vladimir Putin might consider it a step too far.

On Thursday he told voters he fears Ukraine could use them to strike Moscow, amid reports this week that missiles more advanced than Britain's Storm Shadows could be aimed at the Kremlin.

Speaking to voters on Thursday evening in Dresden, Mr Scholz said: “[The Taurus], which has a range of 500 km and, if used incorrectly, can hit a specific target somewhere in Moscow, is a weapon over which the question must be asked: 'what about what to do with him? , and this cannot be resolved with simple encouraging statements.

“So it is, and I express it in diplomatic abstractions, others have taken care to know exactly how it ends,” he added.

Olaf Scholz (center) at the groundbreaking ceremony for Rheinmetall's new ammunition plant in Unterlüss, Germany Photo: FRIEDEMANN VOGEL/EPA-EFE /Shutterstock

Mr Scholz has previously expressed concern about Germany being perceived as a «Kriegspartei» or side of the war, but his remarks on Thursday suggested he was also concerned that Ukrainian forces could potentially try to attack Putin in the Kremlin, which is based in Moscow.

The German chancellor is under intense pressure to agree to send the Taurus system to Ukraine, as Britain and France have already provided similar Storm Shadow and Scalp missile systems.

Mr Scholz has said in the past that the Taurus missiles would require a presence on Ukrainian territory, a step he ruled out due to concerns about a subsequent escalation of the situation by Putin.

Earlier this week he drew the ire of UK security sources after confirming that the UK had already sent troops to Ukraine to assist in the use of Storm Shadows.

The comments were criticized by German opposition figures and Tobias Ellwood. former Chairman of the House of Commons Defense Committee as putting British military and diplomatic personnel in Ukraine at risk.

“This is a blatant misuse of intelligence, deliberately designed to distract attention from Germany's reluctance to arm Ukraine with its own long-range missile system. This will undoubtedly be used by Russia to get up the escalator stairs,» Mr Ellwood said earlier this week.

Norbert Röttgen, a senior member of the opposition CDU party, said: «The chancellor's statement regarding France and the UK's alleged involvement in the operation of long-range cruise missiles used in Ukraine is completely irresponsible.»