Scholz blocks supply of Taurus missiles to Ukraine: political analyst explains why 

He expressed this opinion on Espreso TV. 

"Scholz is now trying to just wait and do nothing. He is a very weak chancellor. After the election, he waited for a coalition to form and was appointed chancellor. Today, Scholz has a very small percentage of support among Germans. His party is now the third most popular in Germany. So he is just waiting and thinking that someone will make a mistake, and he will be able to take advantage of it," Sumlenny explained.

The political analyst added that there is no unanimous support in Germany for providing Ukraine with long-range missiles.

"For Scholz, it is still unclear how this can harm Russia. He is panicked that Ukraine will successfully use them against Russia. He believes that it is possible to help Ukraine defend its own territory, but it is not possible to hit Russia. Therefore, the mood within the Social Democratic Party of Germany is now corresponding. Several prominent politicians from this party have already spoken out against providing Ukraine with long-range missiles," he added.

What is known about Taurus missiles for Ukraine

The Taurus KEPD 350/150 is a subsonic, long-range, air-to-surface tactical cruise missile for precision strikes and engagement of highly protected and buried targets without the missile carrier entering enemy air defense zones. The basic KEPD-350 model has a tandem concrete-piercing warhead weighing 481 kg and an explosive weight of about 50 kg. The weight of the refueled warhead is 1360 kg, and the empty weight is 1080 kg. The maximum flight range is at least 500 km.

In May, it was reported that Ukraine had asked Germany for long-range missiles.

At the end of June, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said that Germany did not intend to provide Ukraine with these missiles.

In early August, it was reported that the Bundestag had reached a consensus on the transfer of Taurus missiles to Ukraine.

At the same time, the German newspaper Spiegel reported that Chancellor Olaf Scholz wants to make technical modifications to the missiles to prevent Kyiv from striking Russian territory. 

Ukraine's Ambassador to Germany, Oleksii Makeiev, spoke out against limiting the range of long-range Taurus missiles.

On August 21, the German government’s spokesman reported that providing Ukraine with Taurus missiles is not on the agenda.

On September 4, the head of the Bundestag Defense Committee, Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, criticized German Chancellor Olaf Scholz for being the only one in the coalition to block the delivery of Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine.