German Bundestag calls for more weapons for Ukraine
Published: Thursday, Feb 22nd 2024, 15:40
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The Bundestag in Germany has called on the government of Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) to supply Ukraine with the "additional long-range weapons systems" required 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 in favor, 284 against and there were 2 abstentions.
However, the factions of the ruling "traffic light" coalition have different interpretations of which systems are meant by this. 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, on the other hand, said in the Bundestag that the wording "does not necessarily" mean Taurus. "It is a question of interpretation (...). The fact is: we have not drawn a red line at this point."
The motion, which was passed two years after the Russian invasion and ten years after the annexation of the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea, also justifies the demand for further long-range weapons systems: "In particular, Ukraine must continue to be able to carry out attacks on military targets such as ammunition depots, supply routes and command posts far behind the front lines and be able to protect its soldiers from the multifaceted attacks of the Russian military in the best possible way," it says.
Taurus cruise missiles are fired from aircraft. They can hit targets up to 500 kilometers away with great precision. Ukraine wants to use them to cut off supplies to 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 supply Taurus for the time being. The reason behind this is the fear that the missiles could hit Russian territory and Russia would see this as a direct attack with German involvement.
At the Munich Security Conference on Saturday, Scholz evaded the question of whether he might want to release them after all. In an interview, he merely assured the audience that Germany would always do enough to support Ukraine.
©Keystone/SDA
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