Chancellor Scholz opposes use of German weapons to strike Russian soil

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has reaffirmed his opposition to Berlin's approval of strikes using German-made weapons deep within Russian territory.

He argues that it is necessary to avoid a conflict between NATO and Russia,

Scholz, who also serves as the candidate for the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) in the upcoming elections, made his remarks just two days before a key debate in the Bundestag on a vote of confidence in his government, Caliber.Az writes, referring to foreign media.

He emphasized that under his leadership Germany had become Ukraine's second largest military supporter. At the same time, he still believes that supplying long-range weapons would be a mistake.

“However, I am still convinced that it would be a mistake if the long-range weapons we would provide to Ukraine were used to strike in the Russian hinterland, or if we would supply weapons that could do just that,” Scholz said.

The chancellor rejected the stance of Friedrich Merz, the candidate for chancellor from the opposition Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and Christian Social Union (CSU), who has called for the supply of Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine and the lifting of restrictions on the use of long-range weaponry. 

Notably, Ukraine has long requested Taurus missiles from Germany, which are seen as counterparts to the British-made Storm Shadow missiles already delivered to Kyiv. However, the German-Swedish Taurus missiles have a longer range – about 500 kilometers.

Scholz has repeatedly rejected the idea of supplying these missiles, warning that doing so would pose a significant risk of escalating the conflict. The debate over the potential delivery of Taurus missiles to Ukraine has reignited in Germany following the U.S. decision to approve the use of ATACMS tactical ballistic missiles for strikes from Ukrainian territory into Russia.

The issue continues to divide German politicians, with the government determined to avoid any actions that could increase tensions with Russia, while the opposition pushes for stronger support for Ukraine's military efforts.

By Khagan Isayev