Taurus debate
Airbus Defense boss expresses understanding for Scholz
Chancellor Olaf Scholz strictly rejects the delivery of Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine. photo
© Bundeswehr/Bundeswehr/dpa
The Chancellor rejects a Taurus delivery because the operation would only be possible with the participation of German personnel. The Airbus Defense boss puts the assessment into perspective, but expresses understanding for Scholz.
The head of the defense company Airbus Defense and Space, Michael Schöllhorn, has the Chancellor’s assessment Olaf Scholz (SPD) puts it into perspective that Bundeswehr soldiers are necessary for the deployment of German Taurus cruise missiles in Ukraine. “If there was the will for a delivery, technological solutions would be found to use the Taurus in Ukraine without German involvement,” Schöllhorn told the news magazine “Der Spiegel”. Scholz argues politically. “But I can understand the political arguments,” said Schöllhorn.
Scholz strictly rejects supplying Ukraine with Taurus cruise missiles. He fears that Germany could be drawn into the war if the missiles with a range of 500 kilometers were made available. “German soldiers must not be linked to the goals that this system achieves at any point or place. Not even in Germany,” the Chancellor emphasized at the dpa editorial conference in chief at the end of February. From his point of view, the use of Taurus would only be possible with the participation of his own German personnel.
Schöllhorn called on the federal government to quickly order around 50 more Eurofighter fighter jets. “Before the federal election, we need a reliable commitment from the federal government that the fifth tranche will come. Otherwise the suppliers will be lost to us,” he said. They are already looking for alternative business areas, for example in civil aviation. “The federal government must create planning security in the form of orders or, ideally, long-term purchase guarantees. Our war capability, which Defense Minister Pistorius is talking about, depends on this.”
Schöllhorn accused the federal government of still not having drawn the necessary conclusions from the change in times. “The symbol was good, but the implementation is still inadequate today. We are doing too little, we are too slow. The turning point has not yet arrived in the minds of many,” he said. “Anyone who is serious about changing times must make defense a top priority and sustainably increase defense spending and production in their own country or in Europe.”