Scholz made his statement at a Saturday meeting with citizens in Brandenburg’s Niedergörsdorf. “Although many are pressuring me to do so, I will not provide (Ukraine) with any Taurus cruise missiles that would reach Moscow,” Scholz emphasized in front of 200 participants of the meeting, which took place the day before Sunday’s regional elections in Brandenburg.
“I can assure you now and at this point that I will remain with this position,” added the Social Democratic (SPD) chancellor, who will remain in office at least until the autumn of next year, when parliamentary elections will be held in Germany. Scholz will seek his re-election in them.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has once again spoken out against supplying Ukraine with long-range Taurus missiles. He made this statement during a public discussion in Niedergersdorf on Sept. 20, according to Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. https://t.co/ft7SNOxfce
— The New Voice of Ukraine (@NewVoiceUkraine) September 22, 2024
According to the chancellor, it is necessary to start looking for a way to achieve peace in Ukraine. “The time has come to explore what the possibilities are,” Scholz said further, according to the news server n-tv.
In this context, the chancellor rejected the positions of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) and the left-wing Alliance of Sahra Wagenknecht (BSW), which claim that peace negotiations are an alternative to the current support for Ukraine. “That’s naive,” Scholz said.
AfD is the favorite in the Brandenburg elections, and according to the survey, BSW is also certain to enter the state assembly.
On Saturday, Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbocková from the Green Party also went among the Brandenburg voters. In Potsdam, she assured that Germany will support Ukraine as long as “this terrorist war continues”.
“Otherwise it would mean the end of Ukraine. The war can only end when (Russian President Vladimir) Putin withdraws his troops,” Baerbock emphasized, according to Bild newspaper.
The Ukrainians officially asked Berlin for the taurus last May. The missiles have a range of up to 500 kilometers, and would therefore be able to hit targets in Moscow from Ukrainian territory.
They are able to effectively destroy even heavily armored objects such as army bunkers or warehouses. The Bundeswehr reportedly has about 600 of these missiles at its disposal, but some of them would have to be repaired before deployment.
