BERLIN, Nov 18, 2024 (BSS/AFP) - Germany on Monday said that it was
delivering 4,000 AI-guided drones to Ukraine, even as it has refused to send
Kyiv the long-range Taurus missile system.

Berlin has been the second-biggest supplier of military aid to Ukraine in its
fight against Russia's invasion.

Defence Minister Boris Pistorius told reporters at an event in Bavaria that
the drones being provided "were directed and supported by artificial
intelligence" and that they could "take out the enemy's electronic drone
defences".

The drones "can be delivered very quickly" and could be "deployed 30-40
kilometres (19-25 miles) behind the front line and hit combat posts,
logistics hubs among other targets", Pistorius said.

Along some parts of the front line in Ukraine, such a distance would reach
into Russian territory.

Berlin had announced in June its intention to deliver drones to Ukraine but
had not given details on their specifications.

Despite the unmanned aerial vehicles being nicknamed "mini-Taurus" by the
German media, the government was careful to point out they don't have the
same range.

"These are tactical drones with a restricted range," defence ministry
spokesman Natalie Jenning told reporters at a government press conference on
Monday.

"There is no connection to the Taurus (system) as has been sketched out in
some of the media coverage," she added.

The current government headed by Social Democrat Chancellor Olaf Scholz has
refused to supply Ukraine with the Taurus system, fearing that the move could
draw Russia and the West into a more direct conflict.

Kyiv's repeated appeals for the missiles, which have a reach of more than 500
kilometres (310 miles), have been in vain.

The government on Monday stressed that its position was unchanged, despite US
President Joe Biden's decision Sunday to allow Ukraine to use long-range US
missiles to strike targets inside Russia.

Scholz's continued resistance comes despite Russian forces having made rapid
gains in recent weeks, and Moscow's decision to deploy North Korean troops to
aid its war effort.

Some in the chancellor's own government have contradicted his stance.

Vice-Chancellor and Economy Minister Robert Habeck, who will lead the Green
party into a snap general election in February, said that he would deliver
the Taurus system to Ukraine if he were chancellor.

The main opposition party, the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU),
which is currently leading in opinion polls, has also said it is in favour of
sending the missiles to Kyiv.