German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is sticking to his "no" on the issue of supplying long-range Taurus trucks to Ukraine. CDU leader Friedrich Merz, on the other hand, is open to the idea. However, according to him, further steps need to be taken first, says the CDU chancellor candidate. This was reported by Ntv, according to UNN.
Details
CDU leader Friedrich Merz is ready to supply Ukraine with Taurus long-range cruise missiles - but only under certain conditions. "I would not do it just like that," Merz said on the ARD program "Caren Miosga.
"I would say that if the bombing (by Russia - ed.) does not stop, the first step will be to lift the restrictions on the range of fire. And the second step would be to supply Taurus," the politician said. He added: "And then (Russian President Vladimir) Putin will decide how far he wants to go in escalating this war.
According to Merz, the coalition government of Chancellor Olaf Scholz has no strategic vision of policy options for Ukraine. The government allows Putin to know all the details. It has even publicly argued about its different positions on specific next steps.
Merz emphasized that the decision to supply the Taurus should be made at the European level. Europe urgently needs to become more independent of the United States in assisting Ukraine in the interests of common security. With the possible victory of Republican Donald Trump in the US presidential election in early November, Europe needs to urgently prepare for a leading role.
Merz announced that during the upcoming Bundestag election campaign, he would advocate a significant increase in defense spending. "We have to do it," Merz said. "The (Bundeswehr) budget has to grow." Billions from special funds for the Bundeswehr will be spent no later than 2028. In 2029, a deficit of 30 billion euros will need to be filled.