AIn view of the violent Russian attacks on Ukraine, pressure is growing on Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) to supply the country with German Taurus cruise missiles. At the weekend, former Federal President Joachim Gauck and Bavaria's Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU) called on the Chancellor to no longer withhold precision weapons from Kiev. Defense politicians from the Greens, the FDP and the CDU also once again called for rapid delivery.
Scholz rejected this in the fall because he feared that Russian territory could also be attacked. The Taurus, which can also destroy bunkers, has a long range of 500 kilometers. It is larger than the cruise missiles that France and Great Britain delivered to Kiev.
Gauck said he had spoken to experts about the delivery of the cruise missiles requested by Kiev. “And after these discussions, I can no longer understand why we are hesitant to deliver this weapon and other ammunition,” the former Federal President told “Bild am Sonntag”. In view of the “hideous air attacks” on the Ukrainian civilian population, he asked himself whether Germany’s support was enough. “The Chancellor has to ask himself again and again whether he is not falling short of his stated claim of doing everything to ensure that Russia does not achieve a peace victory,” said Gauck. “Irritation arises when the government’s hesitation not only reduces Ukraine’s chances, but also increases the threat to the free world.”
Söder: Germany is facing a security problem
Söder said the Taurus delivery would enable Ukraine to fend off constant drone and missile attacks. It is “the only serious chance for Ukraine to find new courage and for the Russians not to win,” said the Bavarian Prime Minister before the opening of the retreat for CSU members of the Bundestag in Seeon Monastery. Germany and the EU are threatened with a real security problem if Russia wins the war and the USA withdraws from international crises in the future.
The Greens spoke out in favor of supporting attacks on Russian territory. “The most effective protection against Russian air strikes is to fire at targets on Russian territory and in the occupied eastern Ukrainian territories,” said defense politician Sarah Nanni to the “Rheinische Post”. The FDP politician Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann also called for the Taurus to be delivered in order to interrupt the Russian supply lines. The CDU politician Roderich Kiesewetter spoke of a “failure to provide assistance” to Ukraine, which was “de facto support for Russia”.
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