St. Petersburg, Russia (Reuters) – Russian President Vladimir Putin warned Germany on Thursday that Moscow would directly participate in the Ukrainian war if Moscow had thought that if Berlin provided Kiev to Taurus cruise missiles, but he said he was ready to speak with Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said earlier this month that despite repeated requests from Kiev, Germany is not considering launching Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine, with a range of more than 300 miles (480 kilometers).
Putin said that to fire Taurus missiles, Ukraine will need western satellite intelligence and German officers to take care of the target, which would mean German officers attack Russian territory if they are fired in Russia.
“What is this, if it weren’t for the direct armed conflict between the Federal Republic and the Russian Federation? It can’t be called anything else,” Putin told the senior news agency in the Russian city of St. Petersburg in northern Russia.
Putin added that even if Germany does provide missiles, it will not affect the final process of the war, adding that Russian troops are moving in all directions.
Asked if he would like to talk to Merz, Putin, a fluent German speaker who worked as a KGB spy in former East Germany, he said he was ready.
“If the Federal Prime Minister wants to call and talk, I have said so many times – we don’t refuse any contact. We are always open to it,” Putin said.
However, Putin added that given the existence of German tanks on the battlefield, he did not consider Germany a neutral mediator during the Ukrainian war.
“We believe that the Federal Republic, like many other European countries, is not neutral, but as a party supporting Ukraine, in some cases, perhaps accomplices in these hostilities,” Putin said.
(Reported by Simon Robinson and Vladimir
