❗️France will send an additional 40 SCALP-EG long-range cruise missiles to Ukraine, President Macron just confirmed. Initially, Ukraine received 50 SCALP-EG missiles. There were rumors that France would (or might already have) supply more SCALP-EG to Ukraine.
— NOELREPORTS 🇪🇺 🇺🇦 (@NOELreports) January 16, 2024
Macron said France… pic.twitter.com/EQf46pCk7n
Macron also stated that France was 'in the process of finalizing a security agreement' with Ukraine of the type that was concluded with the UK, adding that France and the EU would 'have to take new decisions in the weeks/months to come, precisely so as not to let Russia win.' https://t.co/ebxkPbQn3T
— NOELREPORTS 🇪🇺 🇺🇦 (@NOELreports) January 16, 2024
Union wants to put Taurus deliveries to a vote
The Union is increasing pressure on the German government to provide Ukraine with Taurus cruise missiles. The CDU/CSU parliamentary group wants to introduce a motion for a resolution in the Bundestag on Wednesday afternoon, with which such a delivery will be put to a vote, announced parliamentary group leader Friedrich Merz in Berlin.
The vote should follow a report by the Commissioner for the Armed Forces, Eva Högl. "We consider the situation in Ukraine to be increasingly critical," Merz said. The Ukrainian military currently has "no prospect" of pushing back Russian troops. The Taurus cruise missiles could contribute to this.
Some members of the traffic light government, who had recently spoken out in favor of Taurus deliveries against the position of Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD), could "follow their words with deeds" in the roll-call vote, Merz said.
While expressing his gratitude to his allies, Zelensky also criticized their timidity and sluggishness in refusing to provide Ukraine with better weapons sooner. He said that the West's fear that doing so would "escalate" Russia's war had denied Ukraine the chance to make military gains and emboldened Putin.
"Every 'Don't escalate' to us sounded like 'You will prevail' to Putin," Zelensky told the heads of state gathered at Davos. He said "nothing harmed our coalitions more than this concept," stressing that the West should have been quicker to call Putin's bluff and Moscow's baseless threats.
"We asked for new types of weapons, and the response was 'Don't escalate.' But then weapons arrived and there was no escalation," he said.
"Because of 'Don't escalate,' time was lost," he said. "And the lives of many of our most experienced warriors, who fought since 2014, were lost. Some opportunities were lost."
