Senior SPD figure rejects supplying German Taurus missiles to Kiev
"We do not want to become a party of war and that is how we have always understood the rejection of the Taurus delivery and that is how it remains," said Matthias Miersch in Berlin on Tuesday.
Kiev has long been pressing Germany to provide the cruise missiles which would allow it to strike targets on Russian soil far beyond the front line.
The previous SPD-led government always rejected the request over concerns of being drawn into the war, but a new conservative-led government has since taken office in Berlin, fuelling hope in Kiev of a possible change of course.
In the run-up to February's elections, new Chancellor Friedrich Merz signalled openness to providing the missiles to ramp up pressure on Moscow, but has said he would only do so in coordination with European partners.
Following one of the worst election results in its history, the SPD agreed to become the junior partner in Merz's coalition government.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


CNBC
31 minutes ago
- CNBC
China doesn't want Russia to lose this war, likely won't put pressure on Putin: Brookings
Angela Stent, senior fellow at Brookings Institution, says Russian President Vladimir Putin counted on Chinese President Xi Jinping's support when he invaded Ukraine – and continues to count on Beijing's economic support and diplomatic support on a global stage.


CNBC
2 hours ago
- CNBC
Oil edges down as market contemplates potential sanctions, tariffs
Oil prices edged down on Tuesday as the market digested U.S. President Donald Trump's 50-day deadline for Russia to end the Ukraine war and avoid sanctions on buyers of its oil, while worries continued to linger over Trump's trade tariffs. Brent crude futures fell 5 cents to $69.16 a barrel by 0000 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures fell to $66.89, down 9 cents. Both contracts settled more than $1 lower in the previous session. Trump announced new weapons for Ukraine on Monday, and threatened sanctions on buyers of Russian exports unless Moscow agrees to a peace deal in 50 days. Oil prices had climbed at the news of potential sanctions, but later gave up these gains as the 50-day deadline raised hopes that sanctions could be avoided, and traders dwelled on whether the U.S. would actually impose steep tariffs on countries continuing to trade with Russia. "The pause eased concerns that direct sanctions on Russia could disrupt crude oil flows. Sentiment was also weighed down by rising trade tensions," ANZ senior commodity strategist Daniel Hynes wrote in a note to clients. Trump said on Saturday he would impose a 30% tariff on most imports from the European Union and Mexico from August 1, adding to similar warnings for other countries and leaving them less than three weeks to hammer out framework deals that could lower the threatened tariff rates. Tariffs risk slowing down economic growth, which could sap global fuel demand and drag oil prices lower. Elsewhere, oil demand is set to stay "very strong" through the third quarter, keeping the market snugly balanced in the near term, the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries' secretary general said, according to a Russian media report. Goldman Sachs on Monday raised its oil price outlook for the second half of 2025, pointing to potential supply disruptions, shrinking oil inventories in Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development countries, and production constraints in Russia.


USA Today
3 hours ago
- USA Today
'Oh really?': Trump says his wife Melania has some thoughts on Vladimir Putin
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump says his wife, first lady Melania Trump, has emphasized to him privately that Russian President Vladimir Putin's continued attacks on Ukraine contradict the rosy picture the Russian leader often presents in phone calls with her husband. While discussing new actions and threats aimed at pressuring Moscow to agree to a ceasefire deal, Trump twice on July 14 referenced remarks that Melania Trump ‒ who tends to keep a low profile ‒ has made to him in private about Russia's attacks. "I go home, I tell the first lady, 'You know, I spoke to Vladimir today. We had a wonderful conversation.' And she said, 'Oh really? Another city was just hit,'" Trump said during a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in the Oval Office. More: Trump to send Ukraine weapons through NATO, threatens secondary tariffs on Russia About an hour later, Trump told a similar story at a luncheon with the White House Faith Office, as he recounted the numerous times he thought a Russia-Ukraine peace deal was imminent. "I'd get home, I'd say, 'First lady, I had the most wonderful talk with Vladimir. I think we're finished.' And then I'll turn on the television, or she'll say to me one time, 'Wow, that's strange because they just bombed a nursing home,'" Trump said, prompting laughs among the crowd at the White House State Dining Room. More: Trump said he'd end Ukraine war in 24 hours. Now his patience with Putin is wearing thin. Growing increasingly frustrated by Putin, Trump on Monday threatened to impose 100% tariffs on Russia and its trading partners if a ceasefire is not reached in 50 days. He also pledged that the United States would send weapons to NATO to assist in Ukraine's war efforts. 'I'm disappointed in President Putin because I thought we would have had a deal two months ago, but it doesn't seem to get there," said Trump, continuing his recent criticism of the Russian president. More: Trump says he threatened to bomb Moscow if Putin invaded Ukraine, new audio shows Trump said Putin is a "tough guy" who has "fooled a lot of people" over the years, but "he didn't fool me." The president indicated he's weary of fruitless negotiations and said he wants "action." Melania Trump, a native of Slovenia, typically refrains from weighing in publicly on political and international affairs. Like she did during her husband's first term in office, she has often been absent from the White House since Trump's return to Washington. Melania Trump last Friday joined her husband during a visit to Central Texas to meet with families of victims who died in recent devastating floods there. The first couple also attended Sunday's FIFA Club World Cup together at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. Reach Joey Garrison on X @joeygarrison.