German politicians ridicule Taurus missile swap idea: 'Embarrassing'

A proposal for Germany to avoid shipping Taurus cruise missiles directly to Ukraine by sending the weapons to the United Kingdom or France instead met ridicule from several leading German politicians on Thursday.

The proposal, according to sources, would involve sending the German-made Taurus cruise missiles to either the UK or France in exchange for those allied countries shipping Ukraine more of their Storm Shadow missiles.

The idea "exemplifies the weakness" of Chancellor Olaf Scholz in supporting Ukraine, Green politician Anton Hofreiter told dpa on Thursday.

The proposal sends a clear message that "Britain can deliver, but Germany cannot," said Hofreiter, who chairs the German parliament's European Affairs Committee.

Ukraine has urgently sought Taurus missiles for months, but Scholz has blocked their delivery to Ukraine, reportedly out of concern that the highly capable weapon might be used by Ukrainian forces to strike sensitive Russian targets and thereby escalate tensions between Germany and Russia.

Hofreiter said that the proposed circular swap would be preferable to nothing at all, but the German-made Taurus missiles are far more capable than the Anglo-French Storm Shadow and are far less susceptible to electronic countermeasures.

The chairwoman of parliament's Defence Committee, Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, also roundly rejected the proposal.

"Ukraine needs Taurus, and it needs it now," she told the Handelsblatt newspaper. "Storm Shadow is not an equivalent replacement. In this respect, the proposal is unsuitable."

Roderich Kiesewetter, a leading foreign policy figure in the centre-right opposition Christian Democrats (CDU), called the idea "embarrassing" for Germany and an obvious contradiction of Germany's claim to leadership in Europe.

"It is also a sign of a lack of trust in Ukraine if Germany accepts the proposal," he emphasized. "That's why Germany should finally deliver directly, because supporting Ukraine with Taurus also serves our own security, prevents mass exodus and an expansion of the war."