Information
The Bundestag, Germany’s lower house of parliament, has rejected a proposal to send Taurus missiles to aid Ukraine in repelling Russia’s ongoing invasion. Chancellor Olaf Scholz cited concerns that deploying the missiles would necessitate involving Germany’s military, potentially entangling the country in direct conflict with Russia. In the vote, 495 lawmakers opposed the delivery, with 190 in favour and five abstentions. While the ruling Social Democrats (SPD) largely opposed the proposal, some within the coalition, notably from the Green Party and the Free Democrats, supported it. The opposition Christian Democratic Union (CDU) pushed for immediate deployment amid Russia’s advances, but their efforts were resisted.
The Taurus KEPD-350 missile, a sophisticated weapon system in the Bundeswehr’s arsenal, boasts long-range precision capabilities, enabling strikes up to 500 kilometers away with minimal radar detection. Despite its potential to disrupt Russian positions far behind the front line, Germany remains cautious, fearing escalation and provocation of Moscow. Ukrainian forces already possess similar systems with shorter ranges, but the prospect of providing weapons capable of striking Russian territory has sparked debate within Germany’s political landscape, exemplified by the recent parliamentary vote rejecting the Taurus missile delivery.
Source: dpa, AFP
Assessment
Commentary leading up to this vote made it clear that it would not pass. It appears likely that German politicians are worried that supplying long-range missiles would “cross the line” and could lead to some retaliation from Russia. Regardless of the vote, there have been discussions with the UK that could lead to Germany supplying the missiles to them before passing them on to Ukraine; therefore, not passing them directly to Ukraine… seems ridiculous, but why not.
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