Merz contemplates missile aid to Ukraine, vows EU alignment

• The prospective Chancellor of Germany, Friedrich Merz, is considering supplying Ukraine with Taurus long-range missiles.
• He emphasised that this will be done in "agreement with European partners".
• The current Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, opposed such actions, arguing that it could lead to an escalation of the conflict.

The future Chancellor, Friedrich Merz, announced on ARD television that he is prepared to supply Ukraine with Taurus long-range missiles. He noted that some countries have already begun providing Kyiv with cruise missiles. "The British are doing it, the French are doing it, the Americans are doing it anyway. Supplies must be agreed upon and, if this is done, Germany must participate in them," he said.

Merz stressed that any transfer must be agreed upon with other countries. "I have always said that I would do it, but only in agreement with European partners," he reiterated.

German media have noted that during the election campaign, Merz was more cautious in his statements regarding the Taurus systems. He mentioned the need to supply "cruise missiles" but did not specify which systems he was referring to.

The recently presented coalition agreement between the CDU/CSU and the Social Democratic Party of Germany does not mention the delivery of Taurus systems to Ukraine.

The current Chancellor, Olaf Scholz from the SPD, has repeatedly turned down Kyiv's requests for Taurus missiles. He argued that it could provoke escalation between Russia and NATO, a stance praised by the Russian Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov.

Since the beginning of Russia's invasion, Germany has been the second-largest supplier of military aid to Ukraine, after the United States.