European Parliament urges increased arms supplies to Ukraine

Excepting Germany, the head of the defense subcommittee of the European Parliament, Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, called on European member countries to build on the recently delivered F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine.  In an interview with Rheinische Post, she said that this effort was essential in order to maximize Ukraine’s military effectiveness in its fight against the Russian invasion. 

“This is an important signal and effective support that the F-16s are finally delivered. But Europe should not give up,” Strack-Zimmermann emphasized.

She urged all EU member states to use all available opportunities to strengthen Ukraine’s defense. 

Strack-Zimmerman has consistently supported the supply of Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine. In particular, she actively defended this position while she was the head of the Defense Committee of the German Bundestag.

However, Chancellor Olaf Scholz rejected such requests on the grounds that Germany could be drawn into the conflict more directly. The Taurus is a long-range missile that will give Ukraine the capability to hit significant targets within Russia, beyond the frontline, from which point Russia orchestrates various destructive assaults against Ukraine.

The Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, believes that the German Chancellor refuses pleas to provide Ukraine with the Taurus as a result of Russia’s continued threatening statements about nuclear escalation.

This is despite the fact that the MBDA company, which manufactures Taurus missiles, has been forced to halt production due to lack of orders.