German lawmakers vote down Taurus missiles for Ukraine — RT World News

The German parliament has overwhelmingly rejected a proposal to supply Ukraine with Taurus cruise missiles, marking the latest setback for supporters of providing long-range weapons for Kiev to use against Russia.

And it was the decision Defeated On Wednesday evening by 485 votes to 178, with only two Bundestag members outside the opposition CDU/CSU faction voting in favour. The final decision on whether to send Taurus missiles to Ukraine will be left to Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who has previously rejected such assistance over concerns that it could lead to a broader conflict by putting more Russian territory within Kiev's strike range.

The head of the Bundestag Defense Committee, Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, blamed the defeat of the resolution on partisan gerrymandering. She said that by linking the missile proposal to the debate on the state of the German army, the CDU/CSU was trying to… “Pulled a clumsy PR stunt.”

As a result, several lawmakers who support sending Taurus missiles to Ukraine voted against Wednesday's resolution. In any case, a request that includes the missiles, as well as other aid for Ukraine, will be sent to Schulz sometime in February at the latest, Strack-Zimmerman said.

The Chancellor has faced increasing pressure to back down from the Taurus issue, since the UK and France agreed last year to provide similar long-range cruise missiles to Ukraine.

The German-made Taurus missile has a range of about 500 kilometers (300 miles) and can carry a warhead weighing about 500 kilograms (1,100 pounds) to its target. Proponents of giving such missiles to Kiev say they could be used to help Ukrainian forces disrupt Russian supply lines.

Russian leaders insisted that giving Western weapons to Ukraine would only prolong the conflict – causing more bloodshed and increasing the risk of escalation – without having any impact on the outcome.

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