A member of German Chancellor Olaf Sholtz's ruling party has for the first time called for Berlin to supply Ukraine with long-range cruise missiles.
Andreas Schwarz, a member of parliament representing the Social Demcrats (SDP), told German magazine Der Spiegel in an interview that his country should give Ukraine Taurus cruise missiles, an air-launched weapon with a range of some 500 kilometers, to help its struggling counteroffensive.
Ukraine first requested Taurus missiles from Germany in May as its armed forces prepared to launch the much-anticipated counteroffensive against Russian troops, which began the following month.
That counteroffensive has been slowed down in part by extensive Russian mining of the battlefield, destroying Ukrainian tanks and other armored vehicles, and forcing Kyiv to switch tactics.
SEE ALSO: Ukraine's Counteroffensive Is Going Slowly. Is That A Problem?The Ukrainian military is now focusing on degrading Russia's fighting capacity by bombing command-and-control centers as well as munitions depots. Taurus missiles have the range to hit such high-value targets deep behind the front lines as well as destroy bunkers buried deep underground.
Ukraine is currently using Storm Shadow long-range missiles supplied by the United Kingdom.
The United States has so far refrained from giving Ukraine its long-range missiles, known as ATACMS, for fear Kyiv may use them to target military objects inside Russia.