Yesterday at 23:40
The head of the opposition Christian Democratic Union (CDU), Friedrich Merz, stated that supplying long-range Taurus missiles to Ukraine will not make Germany a party to the war.
He made this statement on ARD television, as reported by Tagesschau.
Merz’s comments were in response to statements by far-left politician Sahra Wagenknecht, who opposes any military aid to Ukraine.
Wagenknecht’s far-left “Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance” is currently involved in coalition negotiations in the federal states of Saxony and Thuringia, but these negotiations are difficult due to the far-left’s foreign policy demands.
Last week, Wagenknecht indirectly demanded that the CDU in Thuringia distance itself from Merz after he once again called for sending Taurus missiles to Ukraine.
“If we followed his calls, Germany would enter a war with Russia,” Wagenknecht said.
Merz responded, “Supplying the Taurus is anything but entering the war. Ms. Wagenknecht, by the way, knows this.”
He emphasized that the cruise missiles would give Ukraine the ability to defend itself against Russia’s aggression, which violates international law.
“Countries like France and the United Kingdom are already providing Ukraine with long-range weaponry,” Merz added.
Ahead of the EU summit on October 17, Merz proposed that Scholz issue an ultimatum to Putin and discuss its content with European colleagues.
“He needs to be told: if he does not stop bombing civilians in Ukraine within 24 hours, then Germany should send Taurus missiles to destroy the supply routes this regime uses to harm Ukraine’s civilian population,” Merz said.
Germany, led by Olaf Scholz, has consistently refused to provide Ukraine with Taurus cruise missiles—even after the UK, France, and the U.S. supplied their own long-range weapons.
Read also: More weapons, long-range capabilities, harsh sanctions against Russia needed urgently – PM
