The Bundestag has passed a motion from the traffic light factions to supply “long-range weapons” to Ukraine. However, the dispute over the Taurus cruise missile does not end there.
The Bundestag has called on the government of Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) to provide Ukraine with “additionally necessary long-range weapon systems” for the defensive campaign against Russia. A corresponding motion was passed in the Bundestag on Thursday with the votes of the SPD, Greens and FDP. 382 MPs voted for, 284 against, there were 2 abstentions.
Which systems are meant by this is interpreted differently by the traffic light groups. For many politicians from the Greens and FDP, this means Taurus cruise missiles with a range of 500 kilometers. The deputy parliamentary group leader of the SPD, Gabriela Heinrich, said in the Bundestag that the wording “does not necessarily” mean Taurus. “It’s a question of interpretation (…). The fact is: we haven’t drawn a red line at this point.”
Scholz avoids questions about the Taurus
The proposal, which was passed two years after the Russian invasion and ten years after the Russian annexation of the Ukrainian Crimean peninsula, also substantiates the demand for further long-range weapon systems: “In particular, Ukraine must continue to be able to carry out attacks on “To be able to carry out military objectives such as ammunition depots, supply routes and command posts far behind the front lines and to protect their soldiers as best as possible from the diverse attacks of the Russian military,” it says.
Taurus cruise missiles are fired from aircraft. They can hit targets up to 500 kilometers away with great precision. Ukraine wants to cut off the supply of Russian troops at the front.
The government in Kiev officially requested the Taurus cruise missiles from Germany in May 2023. The Chancellor declared in October that Germany would not deliver Taurus for the time being. The fear behind this is that the missiles could hit Russian territory and Russia would interpret this as a direct attack with German participation. At the Munich Security Conference on Saturday, Scholz avoided the question of whether he might still want to release it. In an interview, he simply assured that Germany would always do enough to support Ukraine.
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