Germany has been immersed in a debate for months about where to set the limits of aid to Ukraine amid fears that the shipment of weapons will end up triggering an open war with Russia. Despite both internal and external pressures, Chancellor Olaf Scholz remains firm for the moment in his refusal to send Taurus missiles to prevent what he believes could lead Germany to be part of the war. “I am surprised that some are not even bothered, that they do not even think about whether what we are doing could lead to a kind of war involvement,” the German head of government declared this Tuesday about a decision that he had already made in October, but which he had never explained publicly until now.
The chancellor’s statements once again raised criticism within his coalition government formed by the Social Democratic Party (SPD), the Greens and the Liberal Party (FDP). The vice president of the Greens parliamentary group, Agnieszka Brugger, recalled that both she and her party had opposed from the beginning the exclusion of certain weapons systems in relation to support for Ukraine. The Green defense expert assured the Deutschlandfunk radio station that it was perfectly possible to supply kyiv with Taurus missiles without involving German soldiers. “Everything must be done to prevent a Russian victory, also in the interest of Germany’s own security,” she said.
Scholz referred to the Taurus after returning from Paris, where a meeting was held on Monday with leaders and ministers of the European Union, as well as representatives of the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States. Although all the countries present at the meeting agreed that Ukraine needs “a lot of support” in terms of weapons, there is a red line that the German chancellor is not yet willing to cross: the sending of these powerful long-range missiles. , precision weapons that can reach targets located 500 kilometers away. Moscow is located in this radius of the Russian-Ukrainian border. The Ukrainian government requested the delivery of these missiles in May last year to be able to attack Russian logistics far from the front line.
For the first time, the social democratic politician openly explained why he has not yet given his approval. “We must not be linked at any time and in any place to the objectives pursued by these missiles,” he said at a conference organized by the German news agency DPA. For Scholz, the risk of Germany being dragged into war is “too great” and he recalled that what Ukraine currently needs is, above all, ammunition. “Clarifying this is necessary.”
The dispute over the supply of Taurus cruise missiles has been wreaking havoc on the government coalition for months. Not even the fact that Germany has become Ukraine’s second largest arms supplier, behind the United States, and that it has provided Leopard tanks – also controversial at the time – and all kinds of equipment and weapons such as defense systems. anti-aircraft missiles seem to have changed Scholz’s opinion about one of the Air Force’s most modern missiles.
Bundestag Vice President Katrin Göring-Eckardt of the Greens also criticized Scholz. “No one asking for Taurus for Ukraine wants Germany to become part of the war,” she said. “However, for peace in Europe and beyond, it is essential that Ukraine wins this defense battle,” said the politician, who recalled that the greatest danger for Ukraine and Germany remains that Russian President Vladimir Putin continues having an advantage and continue with “their imperialist campaign.”
Meanwhile, liberal politician Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, president of the Bundestag Defense Commission, told the Welt television channel that she was “stunned” and rejected that German soldiers have to go to Ukraine to prepare these missiles, as she claims. Scholz. “This is simply not true, the chancellor is looking for excuses,” she said, noting that Ukrainian soldiers can learn to handle them in Germany. Strack-Zimmermann also refuted fears that Taurus missiles could be reprogrammed by the Ukrainians to attack targets in Russia that Germany would not approve, which would mean Germany could be dragged into the war, and recalled that there are already many scheduled German-produced weapons. in Ukraine.
Opposition criticism
Criticism also came from the opposition. “The claim that the delivery of Taurus would make Germany a party to the war is simply false from a legal point of view and infamous from a political point of view,” the EU foreign policy expert wrote on the social network Christian Democrat (CDU) Norbert Röttgen. “Taurus is not a miracle weapon, but it is strategically important because it allows the Ukrainians to destroy positions in the occupied territories without approaching the front line themselves. Taurus would thus protect soldiers and civilians.”
The conservatives demand the delivery of the Taurus missiles and Scholz’s coalition partners are also largely in favor. However, last week a Bundestag (Lower House of Parliament) resolution calling for the delivery of these missiles failed. Scholz has repeatedly insisted that the criterion for the supply of weapons is always close coordination with the United States, which also does not supply this missile system, unlike France and the United Kingdom.
For now, Scholz has the support of the Germans. According to the latest poll by RTL and ntv, 56% of Germans consider his decision “correct” and believe that Germany should not provide Ukraine with these weapons. On the contrary, 35% of respondents are in favor of delivery. For Scholz it is important that there is a debate about it in public opinion. “We have to hold on for a long time. In a democracy and in a country that is committed to freedom, this is only possible if the majority of citizens are convinced that this is the right thing to do.”
In addition, Scholz also quickly closed the door opened by French President Emmanuel Macron to a possible sending of Western troops to Ukraine. “There will be no ground troops, no soldiers on Ukrainian soil sent there by European countries or NATO states, and the soldiers who are active in our countries will not take an active part in the war.”
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