Struggle for delivery

German traffic light coalition faces break-up over Taurus deliveries

A Taurus cruise missile(Bild: AFP)

Germany's ruling coalition with the traffic light coalition threatens to break up over the dispute about the delivery of Taurus cruise missiles to the Ukraine. Leading Green MP Anton Hofreiter has not ruled out agreeing to a motion by the opposition CDU/CSU on the Taurus delivery. "I haven't made up my mind yet," the former Green parliamentary group leader told the news portal "The Pioneer" on Sunday. FDP politicians had also previously made similar comments.

Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz opposes the delivery of the cruise missiles. The CDU/CSU party led by opposition leader Friedrich Merz intends to table another motion on Thursday calling on the German government to hand over the weapons system to Ukraine "without delay". FDP defense politician Agnes Strack-Zimmermann had already supported a similar motion two weeks ago. According to the Rheinische Post, FDP deputy leader Wolfgang Kubicki wants to make his vote dependent on the wording of the motion.

FDP Secretary General Bijan Djir-Sarai warned against shortening the discussion. It is about war in Europe, it is about very complex issues that should not be discussed in the German Bundestag on a small and party-political scale, he emphasized on the ZDF programme "Berlin direkt" on Sunday evening. At the same time, he assured: "There are no changing majorities in the German Bundestag. (...) If there were changing majorities, a coalition would be obsolete, so the question does not arise."