Olaf Scholz has to do something he absolutely hates: explain himself! The German chancellor is increasingly cornered by Vladimir Putin’s eavesdropping attack. And it’s becoming increasingly clear what both sides of the Taurus debate are really about.
The German Chancellor no longer wants to hear about Taurus cruise missiles. No wonder, because he cuts a disastrous figure in the debate. After months of research, the Social Democrat finally explained in detail last week why he does not want to make the weapon system available to Ukraine.
The half-truths of Olaf Scholz
He succeeded in several things: on the one hand, the German exposed two NATO allies. Britain and France would actively help guide long-range missiles to Russian targets, Scholz claimed at a media event, to the outrage of many.
On the other hand, he based his second, half-baked argument on this extremely dangerous statement: Ukraine could not exploit the Taurus weapons system without German support.
London and Paris disagree. And now it gets particularly embarrassing: a conversation recorded by Russia between high-ranking soldiers of the Bundeswehr also dismantles its construction. After a few weeks of training, Kiev could operate the cruise missiles without German participation.
The Basta announcement
And now? Now Scholz is closing its doors, deceived and cornered by Putin’s eavesdropping coup. During a school visit in Sindelfingen (Baden-Württemberg) on Monday, a student asked the presented Chancellor: “Leadership means that you sometimes speak out. Why don’t you do that?” It is the famous drop too many.
He had just spoken a powerful word. Control is the key word. You cannot deliver a weapon system that has a very long range and not think about it. And then he repeats: If you want to have control and that is only possible if German soldiers are involved, then that is out of the question for him. “I’m the chancellor, and that’s why this applies!” Over, over, that’s it.
Trust is good, control is better, is a priority in the German Chancellery. Scholz is apparently afraid that Kiev would send the Bull towards Moscow without German guardrails. Experts agree that even Putin respects that. This also explains the time the recording was published. “The calculation behind the publication is that the Chancellor is entrenched in his position. Instead of listening to his own officers, Scholz did exactly that and responded with Basta,” explains Norbert Röttgen, CDU politician and chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee in the Bundestag, when asked.
The Russian propaganda machines have been running at full speed since the wiretapping scandal. There are lies, distortions and threats. Germany plans an attack on Russia is the overarching headline. Berlin is increasingly slipping away from the control Scholz longed for.
Putin determines the subject
According to Röttgen, the chancellor’s accident in recent days had serious consequences. “As a signal to Moscow, this is devastating because it shows that Russian pressure is working on us,” the CDU man told krone.at. The ‘leak’ confirms that Scholz lied about the possible use of Taurus cruise missiles.
That’s why the recording is so ‘explosive’. Röttgen: “It undermines his credibility at home and makes him look weak on the outside.”
Röttgen makes serious accusations against the SPD:
Defense politician and ex-Bundeswehr Colonel Roderich Kiesewetter (CDU) also points out: “At the same time, Russia has managed to divert attention from what is probably the biggest spy scandal in German history, Wirecard, and from the expressions of mourning for Navalny . , where tens of thousands of Russians are present, and Putin is trying to shape the image of the West as an enemy in the run-up to the sham elections.”
“Propaganda” inside
It is about ‘propaganda’, which is mainly aimed inward. “We should not let this influence us in Germany,” Kiesewetter told krone.at. Scholz should not be ‘deterred’. The motto regarding Taurus should be: not “while it lasts,” but “whatever it takes.”
One thing is certain: Putin is forcing his own argument on Scholz. As a result of the withdrawal, the Chancellor had to express his rejection of the Taurus delivery much more often than he had planned. Ergo: the road back to a yes is getting longer and longer. “With the publication, Russia has provided insight into its espionage methods, but preventing the Taurus delivery is more important to Russia,” Russia expert Gerhard Mangott said in writing.
Moreover, according to Mangott, the military counterintelligence service and the Bundeswehr are visible on the international stage. Berlin is trying to limit the damage here. German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD) now assumes that the secret communications channels of the Bundeswehr have not been “compromised”. There is more talk of a Russian accidental hit because a Bundeswehr officer in Singapore participated in the transfer via an ‘open network’.
That doesn’t sound very reassuring. So how do we proceed? For Röttgen, the path has been set: “The only sensible course of action now would be to clarify the arguments and show strength to Putin by giving Ukraine what it needs: Taurus cruise missiles.”
No “eternal announcement”
SPD circles also say that the Chancellor’s no vote is not a “final” decision. These are not ‘eternal announcements’. The majority of the traffic light partners FDP and the Greens are in favor of a Taurus delivery in any case. Meanwhile, Scholz never tires of emphasizing that Germany must not become a warring party. But the Russian eavesdropping propaganda show of the past few days shows: they are long before the Kremlin!
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
