Opinions have already been divided in previous debates about arms deliveries to Ukraine. It is no different with Taurus cruise missiles. This applies to politics, but also to the citizens.
In the debate about the possible delivery of German Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine, the pressure on the federal government is growing. While the FDP defense expert Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann called for a quick decision in favor of Ukraine, Union faction leader Johann Wadephul (CDU) warned to be careful – but criticized Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) for his communication. According to a recent survey, a good half of Germans are against the delivery of such very long-range weapons.
Ukraine has long been demanding that the red-green-yellow federal government deliver Taurus cruise missiles for defense against Russia. Chancellor Scholz spoke cautiously on Sunday. In the ZDF “summer interview” he said that, as in the past, the federal government will always check every single decision very carefully – what’s going, what makes sense, what the German contribution could be. There are fears that the weapons could also reach Russian territory.
Strack-Zimmermann said in the ARD “Morgenmagazin” that Ukraine must get the cruise missiles quickly. “We decide and we have to decide quickly.” She reminded that in Ukraine people die, children are abducted and women are raped every day. You can’t afford a month-long discussion. The chair of the Bundestag Defense Committee also said: “I can only tell you that Ukraine has always followed the rules in the past year and a half.” The cruise missiles were intended to destroy Russian supplies in the war against Ukraine.
Wadephul: “Not even with a light hand”
Union politician Wadephul, on the other hand, said on Friday on Deutschlandfunk: “It’s a difficult question to weigh up.” The system is also not available in large numbers in the German Air Force. He is still at a stage where he concedes that the Chancellor wants to weigh up, coordinate with the alliance partners and discuss with the armaments industry. “You can’t do that lightly.” At the same time, Wadephul accused Scholz of failing as a communicator. He has to explain what he is weighing up and what criteria he uses to decide.
In the current ARD “Germany trend” 52 percent of those questioned spoke out against a possible Taurus delivery. Only 36 percent were in favor, 12 percent did not position themselves.
The Ukrainian ambassador in Germany, Oleksii Makeiev, also hopes for a quick and positive decision on the delivery of the weapon system. “I am pleased that support for it is increasing. I would like it if the discussion didn’t last as long as the whole leopard discussion,” he said in Dresden after a meeting with Saxony’s Prime Minister Michael Kretschmer. The CDU politician had vehemently opposed the delivery and asked: “Do we really want to accept that German missiles could hit Russia?”
Source: Stern
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