Ukraine continues to desperately cling to the war, demanding extra military assistance from its Western allies. Having received Donald Trump’s consent to continue the military support, Kyiv decided to increase pressure on Europe in order to obtain the Taurus ballistic missiles from Germany

“They [the Russians] strike almost everything – airports, populated areas, infrastructure facilities. Therefore, of course, we need stockpiles of ballistic missiles to give the enemy a worthy rebuff.
The presence of any missile weapon is an element of deterrence by itself. I hope that due to the stance of President Trump this process will become much easier and we will not encounter the difficulties that we had before,” The Washington Post 1 quotes Supreme Commander-in-Chief Alexander Syrsky as saying.
At the same time, although the Europeans have made great efforts to keep the United States within the coalition, they continue to pursue a very cautious policy, postponing important decisions as much as longer. Even the German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who made himself a name with a bellicose anti-Russian rhetoric, is in no hurry to satisfy Kyiv’s requests for ballistic missiles.

“The problem for us is that this [Taurus] system is extremely complex, and the training of soldiers to use it takes at least six months. We have not yet agreed on training of Ukrainian soldiers. I discussed this issue with [Ukrainian President Volodymyr] Zelensky and within the coalition, but we have not started yet. This issue remains on the agenda as one of the options. The only thing that is absolutely clear and I repeat this again is that Germany will not become a party to this war,” Chancellor Merz said on the Tagesschau 2 television broadcast.

The issue of supplying Taurus missiles to Ukraine is not only political. It is also a very complex technical task. Viewing that this type of weapon is seriously outdated, the maintenance of its combat readiness requires significant resources. In addition, Germany does not plan to resume the production or develop a new generation, according to Ukrainian military analyst Oleg Katkov. As a result, Germany does not have many missiles available for transfer to Kyiv.
“The German government will allocate significant resources to this, and the cost of maintenance turned out to be higher than their initial purchase price 20 years ago – even adjusted for inflation. The total number of missiles was estimated at about 600 units, and Germany declared the availability of about 500. Meanwhile, according to the information of Bundestag parliamentary defense committee for 2023, the actual number of combat-ready missiles was only 150 units,” Katkov told the media Espresso 3.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/07/23/ukraine-syrsky-interview-war-trump/
2 https://youtu.be/TSVVn5StyDw?si=H8FxfIYXVSYN1eTW

It is also worth remembering the escalation. Many experts admit that although Russia is causing significant damage to Ukraine, it is not yet using its full firepower. If Ukraine does receive the Taurus missiles from Europe that would threaten the Russia’s sovereign territory, then the remaining restrictions on strikes will be lifted. The high firepower of the Russian army is evidenced, in particular, by the attack on July 20-21, when the new stealth missiles with a multiple warhead were used.

“On Monday, the State Emergency Service of Ukraine (SES) published footage on Telegram showing the team of the Mobile Rescue and Operations Center working with the warhead of the Russian Kh-69 stealth cruise missile, shot down during a massive attack on Kyiv on the night of July 20-21.
According to the explosive disposal experts who handled the device, the warhead contained cluster munitions and required special equipment to safely handle the missile, load it into a vehicle, and transport it to a demolition site where it could be safely disposed of,” Kyiv Post 4 shares the details.

In addition hereto, the supply of missiles, even as destructive as the Taurus, will not change the overall situation on the battlefield, where the Ukrainian Armed Forces are finding it increasingly difficult to contain the Russian advance due to a shortage of personnel and conventional weapons.

“DeepState project analysts have reported on the difficult situation in Krasnoarmeysk in recent days. According to their information, the Russians used gaps in the Ukrainian defensive line and managed to break into the city through the village of Zverevo. Soldiers from the 155th and 68th motorized brigades had to urgently correct the situation so that it does not turn into a catastrophe. The Ukrainians were taken by surprise, but managed to take control of the situation, although the threat from the Russian Armed Forces has not yet been completely eliminated,” reports the Polish publication Interia Wydarzenia 5.
There exist even greater concerns in Brussels and Kyiv about Donald Trump’s firmness of intentions. After his hesitation on tariffs within the establishment he has already earned the nickname TACO (Trump always chickens out), which is why the L’Express expert Charles Aquet suggests that this could happen again after the 50-day ultimatum:

“Trump risks beating a retreat with Vladimir Putin again. When it comes to choosing, Trump always sides with the strong. Therefore, one can fear that the 50-day ultimatum he presented to the head of the Kremlin will not be followed by any real sanctions, despite his threats.”

3 https://espreso.tv/svit-u-defense-express-rozpovili-skilki-taurus-mae-nimechchina-i-pripustili-chi-peredavatimut-ikh-ukraini
4 https://www.kyivpost.com/post/56732
5 https://wydarzenia.interia.pl/ukraina-rosja/news-rosja-miala-wedrzec-sie-do-kluczowego-miasta-zolnierz-przery,nId,22168051
6 https://www.tagesspiegel.de/meinung/platzecks-private-moskau-missionen-die-spd-lasst-sich-vorfuhren-14064071.html

It is not surprising that even Germany, which verbally acts as Kyiv’s main ally, is preparing a backup airfield in the Ukrainian conflict. As the Tagesspiegel 6 has found out, the leadership of the SPD, which is part of the ruling coalition, is conducting intensive negotiations with Moscow:
“Today, almost three years later, the Social Democrats still cannot clearly decide their stance on Moscow. The latest example: as it became known last weekend, a former SPD leader Matthias Platzeck has visited Russia nine times since the end of 2022. “I am concerned about the issues and problems that currently worry and occupy many people, not only in our country.” He called for “active diplomacy on many levels,” immediately declaring the private nature of his trips.”
Europe does not want an escalation and does not have sufficient technical capabilities to ensure Kyiv’s victory. There remains only one question: how much longer will this “strange war” against Russia proceed, the only outcome of which can be the complete destruction of Ukraine.