Chancellor Scholz is against supplying “Taurus” cruise missiles to Ukraine. That is why the Union wants to submit its own proposal to the Bundestag. The FDP defense expert Strack-Zimmermann wants to agree with this.
The FDP defense politician Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann has announced that she will vote in the Bundestag for a Union motion on “Taurus” deliveries to Ukraine. She also “continues to appeal to every individual to work for the delivery of Taurus,” Strack-Zimmermann told the Bild newspaper.
With her announcement, the chairwoman of the Defense Committee is clearly criticizing a proposal from the three traffic light factions, which is also due to be put to the vote this week. Not everyone in the SPD still understood “that Ukraine is fighting for our peace and our freedom and our future in Europe,” said Strack-Zimmermann.
However, she made it clear that she wanted to vote for both the traffic light proposal and that of the Union. However, she reiterated her criticism of the SPD. The FDP politician wrote on Platform But she is missing “exactly one word about accuracy.” She continues to insist on a “Taurus” delivery.
“I personally will therefore also vote for the Union parliamentary group’s proposal for a change of era in the plenary session this week, which includes Taurus’ explicit demand,” Strack-Zimmermann continued.
On a collision course with the Chancellor
According to Strack-Zimmermann, the government factions are demanding in their application that weapons systems be delivered to Ukraine that “enable Ukraine to carry out targeted attacks on strategically relevant targets far in the rear of the Russian aggressor in accordance with international law” – but they do not mention “Taurus” literally. Strack-Zimmermann emphasized that these weapon systems “for us Free Democrats can only mean ‘Taurus’ cruise missiles.”
Strack-Zimmermann was particularly confrontational with the Social Democrats and Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD). “A mention by name failed due to the leadership of the SPD parliamentary group and the stubbornness of the Chancellery,” she said.
Union is putting pressure on
The Union announced that it would only agree to the traffic light factions’ planned application if it also included “Taurus” cruise missiles. “We make it dependent on the matter and also the clarity that is reflected in the application,” said CDU foreign policy expert Norbert Röttgen to broadcaster RTL. “The FDP didn’t even manage to get the word ‘Taurus’ into this proposal,” said Röttgen. He called the current version “convoluted coalition formulations”.
For months there have been demands from Ukraine for deliveries of “Taurus” cruise missiles because they have a long range of more than 500 kilometers and enormous destructive power. The Union and large parts of the FDP and the Greens are also urging the federal government to do this. However, Chancellor Scholz has so far rejected this, and leading SPD politicians have also warned of a further escalation of the war if the weapons were delivered.
Oliver Neuroth, ARD Berlin, tagesschau, February 20, 2024 4:30 p.m