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German parliament discusses key decision on Ukraine

Debate to be held despite Chancellor Scholz's opposition to providing missiles to Kiev

Dec 6, 2024 09:47 129

The lower house of the German parliament will debate today whether to provide long-range Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine, DPA reported, BTA reported.

The debate will be held despite Chancellor Olaf Scholz's opposition to providing the missiles to Kiev.

The discussion will be held in connection with the Free Democratic Party's proposal to provide the missiles. The Free Democrats withdrew from Scholz's ruling coalition last month after the chancellor removed their leader Christian Lindner from the post of finance minister.

The Free Democrats' proposal says the Taurus missiles would enable Ukraine to hit military targets far beyond the front lines. DPA notes that the Bundestag is unlikely to vote on the proposal.

There has long been a debate in Germany about whether Berlin should provide Taurus missiles to Ukraine, which is still fighting Russian forces that invaded its territory in 2022. Ukrainian leaders have repeatedly said they want the missiles from Berlin, but Olaf Scholz is adamantly opposed to providing them, citing concerns that handing the missiles to Ukraine could drag Germany into the war.