German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is blocking the handover of long-range missiles to Ukraine, the head of the Bundestag’s Defense Committee, Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, has claimed. Kiev has been asking Berlin to provide Taurus rockets for months, although the German government has so far been reluctant to do so.
On Monday, Strack-Zimmermann commented via X (formerly Twitter) on an article by Bild that suggested that the ruling German coalition has refused to heed Ukraine’s calls for more advanced weaponry.
“’At the moment’ he doesn’t want to deliver #Taurus.’ But ‘at the moment’ people continue to die in #Ukraine,” the lawmaker from the Free Democratic Party wrote.
“For God’s sake, what is the Chancellor waiting for?” Strack-Zimmermann added, claiming that Scholz “alone is blocking this decision within the coalition” and describing his stance as “irresponsible.”
The lawmaker was responding to an article published on Sunday penned by Bild’s deputy chief editor, Paul Ronzheimer, in which he claimed that Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky’s office believes Chancellor Scholz is the only impediment to cruise missile deliveries.
Bild alleged that Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and Finance Minister Christian Lindner support the potential handover of the rockets and have privately conveyed their position to officials in Kiev.
In her previous post on X on Friday, Strack-Zimmermann also suggested that instead of questioning election practices in Ukraine at present, the leadership in Berlin should provide it with Taurus missiles.
Meanwhile, a survey conducted by state pollster ARD-DeutschlandTrend last month indicated that some 52% of respondents firmly opposed the deliveries, with 36% for them and a further 12% undecided.
The aircraft-launched Taurus cruise missile boasts a range of about 500km (over 300 miles) and carries a payload of 500kg (over 1,100 lbs).
In May, the UK became the first nation to provide Ukraine with long-range weapons, supplying Storm Shadow cruise missiles, which have a range of over 250km. In July, France followed suit, giving the green light to the delivery of its localized version of the Storm Shadow, SCALP.