This evening, the Bundestag voted on whether to provide Ukraine with long-range Taurus missiles. Many German politicians, including those from the opposition party, insisted on providing the missiles to Ukraine. However, after lengthy discussions, German MPs failed in a roll call vote.
As Ukrinform has learned, 178 MPs voted in favour, 485 voted against, and three abstained.
Kerstin Vieregge, a representative of the opposition CDU/CSU faction, who brought the motion to the floor, called on her fellow MPs to support the request to provide Ukraine with Taurus cruise missiles, because "Ukraine and the whole of Europe will thank you for it."
She recalled that providing Ukraine with Taurus missiles is important. In addition, the opposition MP reminded Scholz that in the two years since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, he has not fulfilled his promises of initiatives and changes.
Opposition MP Florian Hahn stressed that "now is a crucial moment and the right time to provide such missiles". He added that for Ukraine, the year began with massive attacks on Ukraine's infrastructure, causing terrible human losses and destruction.
"You are all responsible," Hahn stressed.
During the debate, representatives of the right and left strongly opposed the provision of missiles and insisted on the "impossibility of defeating a nuclear power", the criminality of using German weapons against Russians and the "need for peace talks".
The ruling party remained silent about the missiles during the debate, not mentioning them at all.
German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius did not mention the missiles, but promised that Germany would support its Ukrainian partners as long as necessary and reminded that Chancellor Scholz had called on all allies in Europe to step up their assistance.
Pistorius warned that in 2024, things could happen that they (the Germans - ed.) did not expect, so Germany is facing major geopolitical and security challenges and it is necessary to prepare the Bundeswehr to meet these challenges as soon as possible.