Is Olaf Scholz double-dealing with Ukraine?

At least this is the conclusion of the Brussels-based Eurointelligence consultancy, after analyzing Berlin's decision against sending Taurus cruise missiles to Kyiv.

Granada, 2023. október 6. Olaf Scholz német kancellár a sajtó képviselõinek nyilatkozik az EU-tagországok állam-, illetve kormányfõinek találkozóján Granadában 2023. október 6-án. MTI/EPA-EFE/Pepe Torres Fotó: Pepe Torres

News that Berlin would not ship Kyiv Taurus missiles exploded like a bombshell, writes the V4NA international news agency. The cruise missiles, which are about five meters long and weigh 1.3 tons, have a range of more than 500 kilometers, according to the manufacturer’s specs. They are ideal against stationary targets, and as the projectiles fly low, even under 50 meters, radar detection rates are also very low. The specific blasting technique upon impact allows the Taurus to penetrate several levels of the bunker, as the animation below illustrates.

One of the stipulations Chancellor Olaf Scholz cited was that Ukraine not fire into other countries but only defend its own territory with these weapons. At present, Berlin fears that Ukraine would not be able to keep to the agreement.

Exklusiv: Öffentlich hält Olaf Scholz sich zurück. ABER: In einer Geheimsitzung mit Top-Ministern, die in einem abhörsicheren Raum stattfand, sprach der Kanzler jüngst über seine Kriegssorge. Es sind hochbrisante Aussagen! Meine Kollegin Angelika Hellemann und ich haben in Sachen… pic.twitter.com/iVs33duTUT

— Paul Ronzheimer (@ronzheimer) October 5, 2023

„Both France and the United Kingdom called on the German government to deliver the missiles, but Scholz is focusing on the legal differences. The British and French have their own teams in Ukraine to control geodata of the missiles. In Germany, the Bundestag would have to approve the deployment of German troops abroad. (…) As is happening more frequently, Scholz is hiding behind some technical excuse so he does not have to reveal the real reason,” the Polish portal wPolityce.pl reported on Eurointelligence’s analysis.

According to the think tank, the German chancellor does not want to cross the red line of sending German troops to Ukraine (to monitor compliance with the agreement), even though there would be a clear majority in the Bundestag to support such a decision. He also does not want German military equipment to be used to attack Russia. However, this clearly shows the limits of western unity about the goals of their support operations for Ukraine. There are different views about Crimea, and whether western weapons should be used in Ukrainian attacks on Russia itself, the Brussels-based institute emphasizes, adding that Olaf Scholz has been playing a double game throughout the war: he does not want Russia to lose, but he is trying with superficial measures to help Ukraine win, the V4NA article notes.

Cover photo: German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (Photo: MTI/EPA-EFE/Pepe Torres)