NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte has urged Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to stop his “unfair” criticism of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz over Berlin’s decision not to supply Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine. Germany has been one of Ukraine’s strongest allies since Russia’s invasion in 2022, offering significant financial and military support. However, its refusal to provide the long-range Taurus missiles has been a point of contention for Zelenskyy.
In an interview with the German news agency dpa, Rutte stated that he had repeatedly told Zelenskyy that the criticism of Scholz was unwarranted. While other countries like the US, UK, and France have supplied Ukraine with longer-range weapons, Germany has refrained from sending the Taurus missiles due to concerns about escalating tensions with Russia.
Rutte emphasized that while Scholz has held back on the missile delivery, he himself would be willing to provide the missiles to Ukraine without imposing restrictions on their use. He acknowledged the importance of such capabilities for Ukraine but clarified that it was up to individual NATO allies to decide what military aid to send.
Zelenskyy had previously criticized Scholz for a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, claiming it undermined efforts to isolate Russia and pursue a peaceful resolution. Scholz’s position has become increasingly challenging, as his coalition government collapsed last month, and he faces low approval ratings. With a snap election scheduled in Germany for February, opposition leader Friedrich Merz of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) has promised to send the Taurus missiles to Ukraine if elected.
Rutte also discussed potential pressure from US President-elect Donald Trump, who is expected to push for higher defense spending from European NATO members. NATO has set a goal for its European members to collectively spend 2% of their GDP on defense by the end of this year, but Trump has reportedly aimed to raise this target to 5%.
