German and British leaders are mulling a new swap deal that would produce more weapons for Ukraine without Berlin directly supplying its much-touted Taurus cruise missile to Kyiv, a step Chancellor Olaf Scholz has repeatedly shied away from for fear of escalating NATO's standoff with Moscow.
British Foreign Minister David Cameron expressed London's backing for the proposal last week, suggesting the U.K. would accept Taurus missiles from Germany, which would free up additional Storm Shadow missiles to be sent to Ukraine. On Sunday, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock—one of the two leading Green Party representatives in the three-party "traffic light" coalition led by Scholz—said the "ring exchange" plan was feasible.
"The circular exchange is, so to speak, a German invention," she said, as quoted by German newspaper Spiegel. "It would be an option. And we have already done it with other equipment some time ago."
The British-French Storm Shadow/SCALP cruise missiles were first provided to Kyiv in May 2023, and they have been successfully used in significant strikes on high-value Russian targets.
The idea of a German-British missile swap was first reported on in January. At that time, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius—a member of Scholz's Social Democratic Party—said he wasn't aware of any such proposal.
Moscow has repeatedly warned NATO nations against supplying military aid to Ukraine.
Newsweek has contacted the Russian foreign ministry by email to request comment on a possible missile exchange plan.
Ukrainian leaders and commanders have said that the Taurus would significantly enhance the military's long-range strike capabilities. Its powerful warhead makes the weapon particularly suited for use against large infrastructure targets, such as the strategic Kerch Strait Bridge connecting occupied Crimea to western Russian.
The missiles have a range of around 300 miles and are largely similar to the Storm Shadow/SCALP weapons in their design and operation. But Scholz and his allies in Berlin have been hesitant to follow the British-French lead, fearing that providing the Taurus missiles to Kyiv would be interpreted by Moscow as direct German involvement in the war.
Scholz embarrassed allies last month when he seemed to reveal that British and French troops are playing a key role in directing Ukrainian cruise missile strikes.
"This is a very far-reaching weapon," Scholz said of the Taurus. "And what the British and French are doing in terms of target control and support for target control cannot be done in Germany."
Germany was humiliated again soon after when Russia leaked a recorded phone call of senior military officials discussing the potential supply of Taurus missiles to Ukraine, noting they could be used to attack the Kerch Strait Bridge.
On that call, the military officials again suggested that allied NATO troops were already operating on the ground inside Ukraine.
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David Brennan is Newsweek's Diplomatic Correspondent covering world politics and conflicts from London with a focus on NATO, the European ... Read more
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