German Parliament (Bundestag) refused to deliver a Taurus stealth missile to Ukraine with the concern that it could be used for counterattack purposes. Most Bundestag members reminded that the Taurus cruise missiles have a firing range of up to 500 km. Ukraine can use it to attack Russian territory, and this will further expand the war that has been going on for almost two years.
Previously, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz expressed the same opinion as his government. Steffen Hebestreit also said this: the official representative of the German government said that Germany is currently not ready to supply long-range Taurus missiles to Ukraine.
However, the opposition party in the Bundestag, namely the coalition between the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and the Christian Social Union in Bavaria (CSU), called for a vote in parliament on January 17.
Friedrich Merz, chairman of the CDU faction in the Bundestag, said his party would submit a motion for a resolution in parliament to put the issue of sending the Taurus to a vote.
Merz emphasized that Germany must fully support Ukraine’s struggle. “We consider the situation in Ukraine increasingly critical,” he said.
With Germany willing to send Taurus missiles, Merz believes the protracted war will end more quickly.
The voting carried out on Wednesday, as reported by Deutsche Well, has resulted in a complete recapitulation. Of the 666 members, 178 voted in favour, 485 voted against, and three abstained.
The Taurus missile, or in full Taurus KEPD 350, is an air-launched cruise missile resulting from a Swedish-German program produced by Taurus Systems GmbH, which is a partnership between MBDA Deutschland GmbH and Saab Bofors Dynamics.
The German, Spanish and Republic of Korea Air Forces have used this missile. This missile is characterized by stealth and has a range of more than 300 miles (500 km). The Taurus missile weighs approximately 1,400 kg and has a maximum body diameter of 1 meter.
Germany Rejects Delivering Taurus Missiles to Ukraine
