German MPs did not support the oppositionʼs request to transfer Taurus strategic cruise missiles to Ukraine. Out of 666 deputies present at the meeting, 178 elected members voted for, 485 against, and three abstained.
The CDU/CSU party, which currently represents the parliamentary opposition in the Bundestag, made the proposal to give Ukraine the Taurus. The Greens and the Free Democratic Party opposed it. At the same time, representatives of both parties previously approved an increase in military aid to Ukraine, in particular the transfer of cruise missiles. However, they saw the CDU/CSU proposal as an attempt to gain a tactical advantage in the internal political debate in Germany, writes Der Spiegel.
In addition, the "Greens" criticize the parliamentary coalition for refusing to approve Ukraineʼs applications for Euro-Atlantic integration — joining the European Union and NATO.
Kerstin Feregge, a representative of the opposition CDU/CSU faction, which presented the motion for discussion, called on fellow deputies to support the demand to provide Ukraine with Taurus cruise missiles, and opposition member Florian Hahn reminded that the year began for Ukraine with massive attacks on infrastructure. However, the vote did not yield results.
Before the start of the debate, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius addressed the Bundestag. He did not mention missiles in his speech, but at the same time promised that Germany would support Ukraine "as much as it takes."
The parliamentary decision is more of a symbolic step, since the final decision on the provision of weapons belongs to the executive power — the government and the chancellor. Therefore, the vote of the Bundestag will not be decisive.
- Ukraine asked Germany for Taurus missiles with a range of up to 500 km last spring. Since then, there has been a discussion on this issue, and the German government still does not give the green light to the transfer of these weapons.