Baerbock calls Taurus ring swap an “option”
Published: Monday, Mar 11th 2024, 06:41
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Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock is open to her British colleague David Cameron's proposal to provide Ukraine with new cruise missiles via a ring swap. "That would be an option," said the Green politician on the ARD program "Caren Miosga" on Sunday evening. She also indicated that she would also be in favor of Taurus deliveries to Ukraine.
She had already said very clearly in the summer that Ukraine needed extensive weapons systems with regard to the mine belt in the east of the country, emphasized Baerbock - and added when asked: "in brackets: also Taurus". However, this also included, for example, rocket launchers and self-propelled howitzers, which Germany had already supplied.
In an interview with the "Süddeutsche Zeitung", Cameron declared his willingness to "work as closely as possible with our German partners to help Ukraine". Cameron also believes that an exchange of rings is possible, which could allay the concerns of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD).
Scholz rejects the delivery of Taurus missiles with a range of 500 kilometers to Ukraine because he fears that Germany could ultimately be drawn into the war through their use. In a ring swap, Germany could hand over Taurus cruise missiles to the UK - and London could in turn deliver more Storm Shadow missiles to Ukraine.
The Bundestag's Defense Committee will discuss the Russian wiretapping of air force officers in a special session early Monday evening. Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD) is also expected to attend. The background to this is a recording published by Russia of a conversation between senior German air force officers in which they discuss deployment scenarios in the event that Taurus cruise missiles are delivered to Ukraine after all. The Union also wants to address the Chancellor's opposition to a Taurus delivery to Ukraine.
The ranks of the traffic light coalition are not united in the Taurus debate. This is also likely to become apparent on Thursday, when the CDU/CSU intends to table another motion in the Bundestag calling on the German government to hand over the far-reaching weapons system to Ukraine "without delay". There are indications that this motion could also be supported by the FDP and the Greens.
On Sunday, Green politician Anton Hofreiter did not rule out the possibility that he would also vote in favor of the motion this time. "I haven't made up my mind yet," he told the news portal "The Pioneer". FDP defense politician Agnes Strack-Zimmermann has already announced her approval - similar to a similar Union motion two weeks ago. According to the Rheinische Post, FDP deputy leader Wolfgang Kubicki wants to make his vote dependent on the wording of the motion.
In a guest article for the "Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung" (Monday), Hofreiter, together with CDU foreign affairs expert Norbert Röttgen, sharply criticized Scholz. Both accused the Chancellor of "catastrophic defeatism" and "dramatically poor communication". With regard to Scholz's arguments against the delivery of Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine, they criticized the Chancellor for spreading fear and terror among the population. If Scholz claimed that Taurus deliveries made Germany a party to the war, this was "factually and legally wrong".
"The special session must shed light on the contradiction between the statements of the Federal Chancellor and the Air Force Chief of Staff regarding the conditions for Taurus deliveries to Ukraine," Henning Otte (CDU), Deputy Chairman of the Defense Committee, told Der Spiegel. Florian Hahn (CSU), defence policy spokesman for the CDU/CSU, emphasized: "I expect clarification about the flow of information and the decision-making process between the air force, Pistorius and the Chancellor." The CDU/CSU believes that the recording confirms its view that Taurus cruise missiles could be deployed in Ukraine without the Bundeswehr's involvement.
©Keystone/SDA
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