As of: March 9, 2024, 10:35 a.m
By: Richard Strobl
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Olaf Scholz sticks to his no to the delivery of Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine.
A political expert is now accusing the Chancellor of making serious mistakes in the debate.
Cologne – The possible deliveries of Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine have been causing a stir for weeks.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz rejects a delivery.
Many other politicians as well as other nations disagree.
Things got particularly spicy when Russia published a wiretapped conversation between Bundeswehr officers.
The damage seems already done.
That's the assessment of a political expert.
In the Taurus debate, Olaf Scholz “maneuvered himself into a corner from which he can no longer get out without losing face,” says Cologne political scientist Thomas Jäger to the Kölnische Rundschau.
Scholz argues that a Taurus delivery would require the deployment of Bundeswehr soldiers in Ukraine.
He sees this as direct participation in the war.
However, some experts disagree and believe that no German soldiers need to be deployed in Ukraine.
Political expert takes stock of Scholz's Taurus attitude: “Do exactly what Putin wants”
Either way: With his statements about the threat of participation in the war, Scholz is promoting the very concerns of citizens to which he actually wants to give an answer, Jäger continued: “If Scholz says that we have to be careful not to get drawn into this war, then “Is he doing exactly what Putin wants, namely stoking fear here that something could really happen to us.”
The political expert from Cologne also does not accept Scholz's argument against a Taurus delivery.
In his opinion, Ukraine could use the system against Russian troops without German help.
But that's not all: "When I think about his claim that Ukraine could attack Moscow with the Taurus - he can no longer go and say, I have new information, Ukraine has promised me not to do it, so we can deliver now.
Because Ukraine has long since agreed not to do that.”
“Self-provoked”: Scholz made serious mistakes in the Taurus debate
Scholz “provoked himself” that the topic of Taurus had become such a hot topic, Jäger continued.
He refers to deliveries of similar cruise missiles from the British and French.
Here Germany “could have simply added 20 pieces from its stocks and no one would have talked about it.”
But Scholz let this “chance slip by,” said the expert in his analysis.
But Scholz has also blocked another option: a possible ring exchange through which the Taurus missiles could be used in the Ukraine war.
With his statements about the role of the British in the use of cruise missiles in Ukraine, Scholz also foreclosed this opportunity, said Jäger.
Olaf Scholz continues to reject the delivery of Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine.
(Collage of symbolic images) © Collage: IMAGO / Westlight // IMAGO / photothek
Meanwhile, the lack of understanding of Scholz's attitude continues to grow.
The Union's former candidate for chancellor, Armin Laschet, also accused Scholz of leadership failure in the traffic light government.
“Anton Hofreiter from the Greens publicly accuses his Chancellor of telling untruths on the Taurus issue.
As Chancellor you have to first pick up the phone and clarify the question before you publicly escalate it to such a high level,” said Laschet.
(rist/dpa)