Missiles for Ukraine

Baerbock calls Taurus ring swap an “option”

Swapping missiles in a circle: Baerbock shows willingness to go along with Cameron's proposal.

(Bild: APA/AFP/Tobias SCHWARZ)

German Taurus missiles for the UK in exchange for British Storm Shadow cruise missiles for Ukraine: British Foreign Secretary David Cameron has proposed such a ring swap, offering the coalition a way out of the Taurus dilemma. His German counterpart Annalena Baerbock is open to the idea.

"That would be an option," said the Green politician on the ARD program "Caren Miosga" on Sunday evening. She referred to such swaps already taking place for other war material.

Solution for procrastinating Scholz?
In an interview with the "Süddeutsche Zeitung", Cameron expressed his intention to "work as closely as possible with our German partners to help Ukraine". Cameron also considers an exchange of rings to be possible, which could allay the concerns of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD). Scholz rejects the delivery of Taurus missiles with a range of 500 kilometers to Ukraine because he fears that Germany could be drawn into the war.

A Taurus cruise missile flies during an exercise off the coast of South Korea (archive photo).

(Bild: AP)

Ring swap as a tried and tested means
In a ring swap, Germany could deliver Taurus cruise missiles to the UK and London could in turn deliver more Storm Shadow missiles to Ukraine. Scholz had already resorted to bartering as an indirect form of military aid at the beginning of the Ukraine war, when he did not yet want to send Leopard 2 battle tanks to Ukraine.

Baerbock made it clear that she was in favor of Taurus deliveries. She had already said very clearly in the summer that Ukraine needed far-reaching weapons systems in view of the mine belt in the east of the country, she emphasized and added when asked: "in brackets: also Taurus". However, this also included, for example, rocket launchers and self-propelled howitzers, which Germany had already supplied. This issue had actually been discussed before.

"I wonder what the Pope was thinking"
On Sunday evening's show, the German Foreign Office chief also criticized the Pope's statements on the war in Ukraine. "I really wonder what he was thinking," said Baerbock. If there was a minimal chance that the Russian regime would show a willingness to talk, "then the whole world would be there to talk. Unfortunately, we see the opposite every day".