New Delhi, July 5 -- BERLIN - Germany will not supply Taurus long-range cruise missiles to Ukraine, Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said in an interview with Bild published Saturday, stating that Ukraine no longer needs them.

"I do not think Ukraine still needs Taurus missiles," Pistorius told the newspaper when asked directly whether he supports the transfer. The statement closes the discussion, at least for now, on a weapons category that has generated sustained political pressure inside Germany and diplomatic friction with Russia for more than two years.

Chancellor Friedrich Merz reached an effectively identical conclusion in March. Speaking on March 25, Merz said Ukraine had developed its own domestically-produced long-range weapon...