Despite criticism from all sides
Scholz explains his no to the Taurus delivery
October 5, 2023, 6:59 p.m
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For the time being, Chancellor Scholz does not want to deliver any German cruise missiles to Ukraine in order to avoid an escalation of the war. The hesitation on the Taurus issue is even annoying to the coalition partners. The criticism from the opposition is even harsher.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz has justified his preliminary rejection of a delivery of Taurus cruise missiles by saying that he wants to avoid an escalation of the war. When delivering weapons to Ukraine, we must take into account “what the constitution tells us and what our options for action are,” said Scholz after a conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Selenskyj on the sidelines of the European summit in Granada, Spain. “This particularly includes the fact that we must of course ensure that there is no escalation of the war and that Germany does not become part of the conflict.”
It became known on Wednesday that Scholz does not want to deliver Taurus missiles with a range of 500 kilometers to Ukraine for the time being. Ukraine had already made a corresponding request at the end of May. After the meeting with Zelensky, Scholz emphasized again that all decisions regarding military support for Ukraine must be carefully considered. “If the war lasts so long, it can’t be the case that the considerations stop.”
There had previously been sharp criticism from the Union, but also parts of the traffic light coalition, about the Chancellor’s ongoing resistance to the delivery of Taurus cruise missiles. This is “not about a single weapon system, it’s about the basic attitude,” said Green Party European politician Anton Hofreiter on Deutschlandfunk. The CDU and CSU described the Chancellor as a “total failure”.
The federal government’s refusal to deliver the Taurus was justified by reservations, according to which geodata would have to be supplied from Germany for the Taurus use. In addition, German government representatives are said to have expressed concern that the cruise missiles could destroy the Kerch Bridge to the Russian-occupied Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea.
Between “distraction debate” and “procrastination”
Hofreiter spoke of a “distraction debate” with regard to geodata. The Green politician called it “a big problem” that the federal government was constantly “discussing a weapon system for months and then delivering it too late.” However, it is about “showing determination” so that Russian President Vladimir Putin realizes that continuing the war is not worth it.
Germany and the West must support Ukraine “so that it will win the war.” The Green Party politician and head of the Center for Liberal Modernity, Ralf Fücks, accused Scholz on
The FDP defense politician Strack-Zimmermann also accused Scholz of “continuous hesitation with questionable arguments” at X. The Chancellor’s behavior was “unbelievable”. “Despite this, it belongs in kindergarten, not in the chancellor’s office,” she continued. The FDP politician Marcus Faber accused the Chancellor of “oversleeping” the turning point that he himself had announced.
Kiesewetter: “Germany’s total failure”
“The federal government’s communication about Taurus is dishonest,” wrote CDU foreign policy expert Norbert Röttgen on X. He also viewed the discussion about technical questions as “excuses”. “Scholz never intended to deliver, precisely because Taurus would be highly effective for Ukraine,” Röttgen accused the Chancellor. This action is “irresponsible and short-sighted”.
“By canceling the Taurus delivery, Scholz confirms Germany’s total failure as a self-proclaimed leading nation for European security and offends our partners such as Great Britain and France, who are already delivering cruise missiles,” said CDU foreign politician Roderich Kiesewetter to “Bild” – Newspaper.
Scholz received support from SPD General Secretary Kevin Kühnert. “We should all continue to trust him to make the right decisions at the right time,” he told the TV channel Welt. This also applies to the Taurus missiles. Kühnert referred to concerns about the war expanding.
The Ukrainian presidential advisor Oleksiy Danilow described the concerns on the German side as unfounded on ARD. He once again assured that his country would not attack any targets in Russia with Taurus missiles. Ukraine’s only concern is to liberate its own territories and “that our children must stop being killed.”