Boris Pistorius declines to comment on Taurus missiles for Ukraine

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Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD): “I can’t judge that”

Photo: Lisi Niesner / REUTERS

Ukraine had already requested Taurus cruise missiles from the federal government a good ten months ago.

It wants to hit Russian positions and material depots far behind the front line.

But Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) has so far rejected the request.

Now Federal Defense Minister Boris Pistorius has also avoided making a clear commitment in a Bundestag debate about the high-tech missiles.

The SPD, Greens and FDP factions are calling for "the delivery of additionally necessary long-range weapon systems and ammunition" to Ukraine.

It was heard from the FDP parliamentary group that this primarily meant Taurus - contrary to Scholz's veto.

When CDU MP Jürgen Hardt asked Pistorius whether the application called for the delivery of the Taurus systems, the defense minister answered evasively: "I can't judge that." After all, he was not a member of the SPD parliamentary group.

In addition to the traffic light factions, the Union faction also called for Taurus cruise missiles to be sent in its own application.

The rocket-shaped high-tech weapon has high accuracy and a range of 500 kilometers.

However, the Bundestag rejected the CDU/CSU parliamentary group's request on Thursday.

Only 182 MPs voted in favor, 480 against, and there were five abstentions.

Avoiding the T-word

Parliamentary group leader Friedrich Merz had previously called on members of the SPD, Greens and FDP to join the CDU/CSU's proposal.

"Ukraine continues to not receive the full amount of material it urgently needs to effectively repel the Russian war of aggression," he said.

The traffic light's own application describes the demand for the Taurus rockets so far.

The delivery of the unspecified "long-range weapon systems" is intended to enable Ukraine to "enable targeted attacks on strategically relevant targets far in the rear area of ​​the Russian aggressor," as the application states.

Taurus cruise missiles would meet these requirements, but are not explicitly mentioned.

In the traffic light coalition, there is widespread dissatisfaction, especially among the small coalition partners Greens and FDP, that the Chancellor has so far refused to agree to a Taurus delivery.

mrc/dpa/Reuters