2024-04-27 07:58:20
The British former defense minister considers German concerns about a Taurus delivery to be unfounded. He takes the Federal Chancellor seriously.
Former British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace has called for German Taurus cruise missiles to be delivered to Ukraine. Chancellor Olaf Scholz has to decide whether he wants Ukraine to win the war or not, said Wallace in an interview with the German Press Agency, with a view to the Chancellor’s renewed no to a possible Taurus delivery.
The conservative politician, who was his country’s defense minister from 2019 to 2023, said that he understands the fear of escalation, but this is unfounded. “Russia’s red lines are like chalk wiped off the blackboard.” Ukraine’s Western supporters imposed restrictions on themselves that were illogical and not even understood by the Russians.
Scholz was also wrong when he suggested that British and French soldiers were on site in Ukraine to program cruise missiles. “There is no need for British and French soldiers sitting in Ukraine programming cruise missiles,” emphasized Wallace.
Wallace: “He doesn’t understand deterrence”
The best approach would be for Scholz to name conditions that could justify a Taurus delivery, Wallace said, such as Russian attacks on civilian locations. “Better than saying ‘no, I won’t deliver them’ is to say ‘we are constantly monitoring the situation and if Russia continues, we will look into it,'” Wallace said.
The Brit was harshly critical of the Chancellor: “He is the wrong man in the wrong place at the wrong time,” Wallace repeated an earlier statement about Scholz. “He doesn’t understand deterrence, he doesn’t understand ambiguity,” he said.
He added that Scholz doesn’t seem to understand that appearing indecisive, wavering on certain decisions, or giving the impression of not being on the same page with his allies helps Putin. Ultimately, it also depends on communication as to whether what Germany is doing for Ukraine is perceived.