2024-03-13 07:48:13
CSU leader Markus Söder has called for Taurus cruise missiles to be delivered to Ukraine. Defense spending should also increase if he had his way.
Bavaria’s Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU) made a passionate appeal for the cruise missile to be delivered to Ukraine during a visit to the Taurus manufacturer MBDA. “This weapon must be used,” said Söder on Tuesday in Schrobenhausen. “Taurus, which is produced here, is the most deterrent weapon for defense capability that exists in Germany,” said Söder. Germany has a moral obligation, but also its own interest, to help Ukraine.
Söder called for another vote in the Bundestag on the question: “Should Germany deliver Taurus, yes or no?” He assumes there will be a lot of approval. The delivery is currently failing because of a single man, said Söder, referring to Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD), whom he accused of being “obstinate.” “In the end, this will be at Germany’s expense.” Söder called on the MPs from the Greens and FDP to “put their conscience ahead of the traffic lights to maintain their power.”
“We won’t be able to do it any other way”
Scholz has currently ruled out a possible delivery of Taurus to Ukraine despite criticism from his coalition partners. He justified this with the fear that Germany could then be drawn into the war. Taurus has a range of 500 kilometers and could theoretically also hit targets in Moscow from Ukraine.
Söder said that Germany would not become a party to the war through Taurus deliveries. In South Korea, for example, Taurus is also used without the active help of Bundeswehr soldiers, said Söder. This is also possible in Ukraine. Ukraine has so far adhered to all agreements regarding the use of systems supplied from abroad when it comes to arms deliveries. Peace can only be maintained with a sensible concept of deterrence. “We won’t be able to do it any other way,” said Söder.
Söder calls for defense spending like in the Cold War
It is also necessary to supply Taurus systems for Germany itself and other NATO partners. Among other things, Germany needs more Patriot anti-aircraft systems and its own drone army, said the Bavarian Prime Minister. In this context, Söder called for federal defense spending to be increased to three percent of gross domestic product (GDP).
Germany is spending 73 billion euros on defense this year. According to NATO’s initial estimates, this would correspond to around 2.1 percent of GDP and, for the first time in years, the level of defense spending agreed with NATO. According to documents from the NATO archives, this was last the case in 1992. During the years of the Cold War, the rate was usually over three percent – a number that Söder is now bringing into play again.