Ukraine will continue to receive no German “Taurus” cruise missiles to defend itself against Russia. Chancellor Scholz rejected the delivery. The risk that Germany would become a party to the war is too great.
Ukraine is currently not scheduled to receive any “Taurus” cruise missiles from Germany. Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) has now explained this on the grounds that Germany otherwise runs the risk of being involved in war.
“We must not be linked at any point or place to the goals that this system achieves,” said Scholz at the dpa editorial conference in chief. Therefore, this is not the next option on the agenda.
“This clarity is also necessary. I’m surprised that some people aren’t moved at all, that they don’t even think about whether what we’re doing could, in a sense, lead to participation in the war,” he said around two years after Russia’s attack on Ukraine.
Moscow within range of the “Taurus” missile
The “Taurus” is one of the Air Force’s most modern missiles. The precision weapons can hit targets 500 kilometers away. Moscow lies within this radius from the Russian-Ukrainian border. The Ukrainian government had already asked for the delivery of cruise missiles in May last year so that they could hit Russian logistics far behind the front.
The Union is also demanding the delivery of the “Taurus” rockets. The Chancellor’s coalition partners, the Greens and the FDP, are also largely in favor. However, a Bundestag resolution calling for the delivery of Taurus failed last week.
Scholz had already decided in October not to send the “Taurus” missiles to Ukraine for the time being, but never publicly explained the reasons in detail. Behind his skepticism lies the fear that Russian territory could be hit and Germany could be drawn into the war.
Ukraine has been demanding Taurus cruise missiles for a long time.
The French and British are trying to prevent this by programming the Scalp and Storm Shadow cruise missiles they delivered to Ukraine themselves. There is speculation that at least Great Britain has personnel stationed in Ukraine for this purpose. This was never officially confirmed.
“What the British and French are doing in terms of target control and the accompaniment of target control cannot be done in Germany,” emphasized Scholz. “Everyone who has dealt with this system knows that.” He is surprised that this question is asked again and again. “What other countries do, which have different traditions and different constitutional institutions, is something that we cannot do in the same way.”
Scholz: Ukraine is primarily lacking ammunition
Scholz went on to say that he was “very irritated” by the “missing balance” between what was really needed now and the debate about this one system. “What Ukraine is missing is ammunition in all possible lengths and distances, but not crucially this thing from Germany,” he said when asked about the “Taurus.”
Germany has made great efforts to expand supplies of ammunition. “We, as Europe as a whole and the global community as a whole, are not yet at the scale that is urgently needed.”
“We prevent an escalation from occurring”
Scholz explained that there was a principle that he had mentioned from the beginning – and that could not be repeated often enough: “We will prevent the war that Russia has started against Ukraine from escalating into a war between Russia and NATO are coming. It is very clear that there will be no German soldiers on Ukrainian land. And I also stand for that: that there is no involvement of our country and our country’s military structures in this war. ” This is a responsibility that the government and he as Chancellor have to the citizens.
The “talk” that there is hesitation is part of the problem in Germany, said Scholz. “A lot of people watch TV in the evenings and hope that the Chancellor will keep his nerve,” said Scholz. There are people who are discussing what can be delivered next. But there is no debate about an opposing opinion. “That’s a problem,” said Scholz.
A third of citizens are skeptical as to whether Germany is doing too much. In Scholz’s opinion, it would help if this “were the subject of a debate at some point.” This would also be needed in order to be able to maintain support if the war lasted a long time. “We have to hold out for a long time. In a democracy and in a country that feels committed to freedom, this is only possible if the majority of citizens are convinced that it is right.”