Weapons commitments to Ukraine are also an opportunity for the federal government to distract from the dispute over the Taurus cruise missiles, which Ukraine so desperately wants. Germany wants to give Kiev another 500 million in military aid, including urgently needed artillery ammunition.
This was the result of a meeting of western Ukraine supporters at the US air force base in Ramstein. What Ukraine still doesn’t get are the Taurus with a range of 500 kilometers. They could also hit targets in Moscow.
The Taurus guided missiles are a high-performance weapon made in Germany. You can also destroy multi-story concrete bunkers, here during an exerciseImage: Luftwaffe
Chancellor Olaf Scholz rejects a delivery. He sees the danger that Germany would then be drawn into the war. But he can no longer get rid of the discussion, not even within his three-party coalition of SPD, Greens and FDP.
What does “freeze a conflict” mean?
The sentence made by SPD parliamentary group leader Rolf Mützenich in a parliamentary debate last week caused outrage at home and abroad: “Isn’t it time for us to not only talk about how to wage a war, but also about it “Think about how you can freeze a war and end it later?”
Critics interpreted the “freezing” as an abandonment of Ukraine. Friedrich Merz, head of the largest opposition party CDU, said: “The war in Ukraine has already been frozen once, namely in 2014 through the two Minsk agreements. And what Putin thinks about freezing, you can see every day to this day see the news.”
But the criticism again comes from within the coalition. The FDP defense politician Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann accused the SPD of “appeasement” politics on Deutschlandfunk; i.e. a policy of appeasement. Strack-Zimmermann has already voted against the government twice in Bundestag votes on Taurus, even though her party is part of the coalition.
Political scientist Johannes Varwick from the University of Halle defends the idea of freezing: “Freezing a conflict does not mean resolving it, but rather preventing it from escalating further,” Varwick told DW.
“A conflict that is ‘unsolvable’ under the existing conditions is not overburdened by striving for an ideal solution, but is put ‘on ice’ by a minimal compromise to be reached by both sides. Of course, this does not mean a guarantee of success, but is a responsible strategy given the alternatives. “
Praise from the wrong people
What is tricky for Scholz is the praise of people with whom he doesn’t want to have anything to do politically. This came, for example, from Björn Höcke, from the far right fringe of the right-wing populist AfD. Or from Sahra Wagenknecht, who recently founded a party named after her; Both parties would prefer not to support Ukraine militarily at all.
The Russian destruction of Ukrainian residential areas continues, here in Odessa at the beginning of MarchImage: Ukrainian Emergency Service Office/AP Photo/picture alliance
And then the former SPD Chancellor Gerhard Schröder also praised the current incumbent. Although Schröder has criticized the Russian invasion of Ukraine, he is still friends with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“Being praised and co-opted by Gerhard Schröder clearly shows that he is on the wrong path,” said Bavaria’s Prime Minister and CSU leader Markus Söder, referring to Olaf Scholz.
Does Germany need the Taurus itself?
In the meantime, speculation continues about the background to Scholz’s refusal. CDU politician Roderich Kiesewetter told DW that the reasons put forward to protect Germany from participating in the war were “sham reasons.” He speculates that the Chancellor may be prepared to accept a “dictated pseudo-peace” from Russia for Ukraine. He has been calling for the Taurus for Kiev for a long time.
Taurus missiles for Ukraine?
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But Johannes Varwick thinks that the Taurus are being overestimated for the continuation of the war: “Solidarity with Ukraine is not a question of delivering as many and heavy weapons as possible, but a question of the degree of diplomatic initiatives to end this war with unpopular but realistic approaches. “
Alleged statements by Bundeswehr Inspector General Carsten Breuer in a secret meeting of the Bundestag Defense Committee have further fueled speculation. The Bundeswehr’s top officer is said to have spoken of a capability gap for the German armed forces in the case of a Taurus delivery, as the “t-online” portal reported.
There is a crash in the coalition: Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD) and Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann (FDP), the chairwoman of the Defense CommitteeImage: Michael Kappeler/dpa/picture alliance
Majority of Germans against Taurus delivery
Although Scholz feels strong headwind from both his coalition partners FDP and Greens as well as from the CDU/CSU opposition, he can be sure of the approval of the majority of the German population for his position on Taurus. According to a new Forsa survey, 66 percent reject a Taurus delivery.
At the end of February, 35 percent were in favor; According to the new survey, only 28 percent. Only among Green Party supporters is there a majority in favor of a delivery. Most FDP supporters (54 percent), SPD supporters (70 percent) and Union supporters (60 percent) are against it.
Both Olaf Scholz and the heads of those parties that advocate Taurus delivery will look closely at such results. Especially in view of the upcoming European elections at the beginning of June. The war in Ukraine and how to end it is likely to be an important topic.
The Chancellor recently made disparaging comments about the Taurus debate, which he apparently can no longer control. It is “unsurpassed in terms of ridiculousness” and “embarrassing”. But the fact that his Taurus power word “I am the Chancellor, and that’s why this applies” is not even effective within his own ranks shows his loss of authority.