Bundestag rejects opposition proposal to supply Taurus to Ukraine

The Bundestag rejected the proposal of the Christian Democratic Union of Germany (CDU) and the Christian Social Union in Bavaria (CSU) (CDU/CSU) opposition alliance to supply German Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine on January 17, 2024.

According to the Tagesschau, most votes rejected the proposal of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group, which directly calls on the federal government to supply the Taurus weapon system.

MPs from the Greens and the Free Democratic Party, who have long insisted on such a supply in the coalition, motivated their refusal because the opposition’s request was connected with the plenary debate on the annual report of the military commissar.

“Of course, the FDP parliamentary group is in favour of supplying Taurus (…), but I find it weak that we are holding this debate today amid the concern of our soldiers,” FDP MP Nils Gründer explained.

Der SPIEGEL reported that the Greens accused the CDU and CSU of looking only for headlines.

“Sadly, the current proposition of the CDU/CSU fraction is aimed solely at a tactical advantage in internal political debates in the Federative Republic of Germany,” the Greens stated.

The CDU and CSU had already wanted to put the issue of the supply of Taurus missiles to a vote in the past. Still, the corresponding proposal was submitted to the committees by the coalition majority.

Even if most of the Bundestag votes to supply Taurus, the federal government, particularly the Federal Security Council, has the final say on arms exports.

The German government refuses to supply the Taurus weapon system to Ukraine.

The human rights community in Ukraine believes that the de-occupation of Crimea is necessary to stop the systematic and gross violations of human rights committed by the Russian Federation on the peninsula. They are urging other countries to support Ukraine with timely and sufficient supplies of weapons and military equipment.