The leader of Germany’s Free Democratic Party (FDP), Wolfgang Kubicki, has called on the German government to move from silent deterrence to open diplomatic pressure on Moscow by threatening to transfer Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine. The politician made the statement on the n-tv television channel.
“A sensible person would now summon the Russian ambassador and tell him: so far we have not supplied the Taurus missile, but if this hybrid threat to Germany continues, we will do everything to ensure that Ukraine receives the weapons it needs to defend itself against Russia on a large scale,” Kubicki stated.
The statement came against the backdrop of an investigation into an incident at Leipzig/Halle Airport on the night of 5 August 2026, when a drone carrying explosives was discovered near a Ukrainian Antonov An-124 Ruslan cargo aircraft, while a second drone collided with a Boeing 757 that was going around for a second approach due to the airport’s closure.
On 7 August, American intelligence officials told the Wall Street Journal that they believe Russia was behind the attack. According to the American side, the explosive-laden drone belonged to Russian intelligence.
In March 2026, Merz told the Bundestag that Ukraine no longer needed Germany’s Taurus missiles, as it had its own long-range developments — which, in his words, were more effective than the limited number of missiles Germany could provide.
The Taurus KEPD-350 is a German-Swedish air-launched cruise missile with a range of approximately 500 km and a warhead of up to 480 kg, capable of penetrating reinforced underground facilities thanks to its MEPHISTO tandem warhead. It is precisely because of its potential for strikes on strategic targets in Russia — bridges, command posts — that Berlin had for years refused to transfer it.
