23.In the interview, Rutte said that Scholz's contributions to Ukraine are commendable. The chancellor ensured that Germany ranks second after the U.S. in military support for Ukraine, something Kyiv could express its gratitude for, Rutte noted.The NATO chief nevertheless voiced support for supplying Germany's Taurus long-range missiles to Ukraine without any restrictions on their use, a bone of contention between Kyiv and Berlin.Calls for Germany to supply Ukraine with Taurus missiles were renewed once the U.S. authorized Ukraine to use its ATACMS long-range missiles against targets in Russia in November.Scholz, who is adamant about not providing Taurus to Ukraine, also recently made headlines by calling Russian President Vladimir Putin for the first time after over two years, leading to criticism from Kyiv.