Ralf Stegner (SPD) has sharply criticized the Union with unusual harsh words in the Taurus issue. “In my opinion, my colleagues are hiding part of the truth” Stegner said in the “Spitzengespräch” video format of the “Spiegel” on Thursday.
“As a member of the Parliamentary Control Committee, I am hindered from giving public information about what I hear there” he said. It surprised him that many colleagues expressed themselves differently in this matter, knowing that this could not be the subject of public expectation, Stegner said. “I find that irresponsible.”
According to Stegner, his knowledge suggests that German soldiers would be needed for the guidance of the Taurus cruise missiles. The Union’s faction had repeatedly questioned this representation, particularly by Foreign Policy Minister Roderich Kiesewetter (CDU). “The Chancellor has good reasons, and they can’t all be publicly presented” Stegner said.
When asked why some CDU politicians publicly deny the direct involvement of German soldiers, Stegner said: “Because they are convinced that one can militarily defeat Russia or force it to the negotiating table. And because they don’t have the risk of being proven wrong in the opposite case.”
For months, politicians from the Union, FDP, and the Greens have been pressing for a quick delivery of Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine. Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) has consistently rejected this, citing that Germany should not become a direct war party. The Taurus is capable of striking targets deep in Russia’s interior, which Scholz had also ruled out.