German chancellor candidate states he would transfer Taurus missiles to Ukraine, but under certain conditions
Friedrich Merz, the leader of the Christian Democratic Union and candidate for the position of Chancellor of Germany (photo: facebook.com/MerzCDU)
The leader of the opposition German party Christian Democratic Union and a future candidate for the chancellorship, Friedrich Merz, supports the transfer of long-range Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine. However, he emphasized that this should occur not immediately but through a phased process, reports German news channel N-tv.
According to the CDU leader, the transfer of Taurus missiles to Ukraine, which Kyiv has been requesting for an extended period, could happen under certain conditions.
In an interview with ARD, Merz advocated for first informing Russian dictator Vladimir Putin that his army must cease attacks on civilian targets in Ukraine.
"If Russia does not comply, he would support lifting restrictions on the use of the supplied weapons," the German press reported.
The second step would then be the actual transfer of the Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine.
Issue of Taurus supply
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has refused to provide Ukraine with Taurus missiles, citing concerns that the range of such missiles could theoretically reach Moscow.
Additionally, the German parliamentary group Union has already made two proposals to deliver Taurus missiles to Ukraine.
Merz's position on aid to Ukraine
Back in late 2021, just before Russia's full-scale invasion, Friedrich Merz, the leader of the opposition German party CDU, advocated for supplying weapons to Ukraine. He stated that Russian President Vladimir Putin needed to be given a clear response.
At that time, Merz was considered a likely successor to Angela Merkel as the leader of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU).
In late September, Merz claimed that Chancellor Olaf Scholz was allegedly not striving for Ukraine to achieve victory in the war initiated by Russia. Instead, he suggested that Scholz was focused on preventing a loss for Ukraine, as reported by the politician.
Additionally, Friedrich Merz has been confirmed as the candidate for Chancellor of Germany during the parliamentary elections in 2025 by the conservative bloc of the Christian Democratic Union and the Christian Social Union.
