Overview

• Chancellor Olaf Scholz remains opposed to delivering Taurus missiles to Ukraine, citing risks of escalating the conflict and drawing Germany into the war.
• Friedrich Merz, the likely next chancellor, supports conditional delivery of the missiles but insists it must be coordinated with European partners.
• SPD officials, including Matthias Miersch, emphasize the need for a collective coalition decision to avoid unilateral escalation or perceptions of Germany as a war party.
• Operational challenges include the need for specialized training for Ukrainian pilots and concerns over missile vulnerability to Russian air defenses.
• Defense Minister Boris Pistorius questions the feasibility of European coordination, noting that no other ally possesses a missile system comparable to the Taurus.