Opposition calls Scholz a “fearful chancellor” in Taurus debate
Published: Friday, Dec 6th 2024, 15:20
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The German Christian Democrats have warned Chancellor Olaf Scholz against scaremongering in the debate about a Taurus delivery to Ukraine.
"Please stop falsely introducing the word escalation into the German debate here. It is only Putin who is escalating," said CDU/CSU parliamentary group deputy Johann Wadephul (CDU) in the Bundestag. CSU foreign policy expert Thomas Erndl said: "Olaf Scholz is not a chancellor of peace. He is a chancellor of fear. And ultimately a security risk for Germany."
Parliament debated a motion tabled by the FDP calling for the long-range weapons system to be delivered to Ukraine. There has long been a debate about the use of Taurus cruise missiles in Ukraine's defense against the Russian war of aggression. Scholz does not want to deliver the cruise missiles with a range of 500 kilometers, which Ukraine requested back in May 2023.
SPD warns against escalation of the war
"The SPD parliamentary group in the Bundestag supports our Chancellor in not supplying weapons that reach far into Russian territory or for whose target planning - as with the Taurus cruise missile - German soldiers would be needed, because we do not want an escalation of the war," said Ralf Stegner (SPD). The Ukrainian ambassador Oleksiy Makeyev followed the debate.
FDP parliamentary group leader Christian Dürr warned against "indirectly serving the Russian narrative that anyone supplying far-reaching weapons systems could even provoke a nuclear war in Europe." That is Putin's narrative. The SPD and the Federal Chancellor were trying to sell hesitation and procrastination as prudence.
Greens criticize the FDP: showcase proposals
In contrast, Deborah Düring (Greens) accused the FDP of refusing to provide funding for extended aid to Ukraine during their time in the joint government. Now it is presenting showcase proposals.
The AfD used the debate to make a fundamental criticism of Ukraine policy. Two former Soviet republics were at loggerheads over territorial claims. "This is not our war," said AfD MP Stefan Keuter. He described it as understandable that a major power like Russia has security interests on its own doorstep.
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