German Chancellor Scholz sets off diplomatic time bomb
The rift in German-British-French relations is likely to deepen further following Olaf Scholz's targeted attacks which the other two countries could not leave unanswered. Many have pointed out how dangerous the chancellor's claims are.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s insinuation that British and French personnel are operating cruise missiles donated to Ukraine is „wrong, irresponsible and a slap in the face to allies”, Alicia Kearns, chair of the British Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, said on Thursday.
Scholz’s comments are wrong, irresponsible and a slap in the face to allies.
We have a choice. Either we give Ukraine what it needs, or we will see more bloodshed and a complete failure of deterrence.
We will see more Ukrainian soldiers bleeding out on the front lines because… https://t.co/bDyrxU18wu
— Alicia Kearns MP (@aliciakearns) February 29, 2024
Speaking to reporters in Berlin at the beginning of the week, Scholz justified his continued refusal to send Germany’s Taurus long-range cruise missiles to Ukraine by saying they could require German troops in Ukraine to program them. This would make Germany an active participant in the conflict.
“This is a very far-reaching weapon,” Scholz said of the Taurus. “And what the British and French are doing in terms of target control and support for target control cannot be done in Germany,”
he said.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz has just clarified his reasons for denying a delivery of Taurus KEPD-350 to #Ukraine. He speaks of the possibility of hitting specific targets in Moscow if the weapon is mishandled, and therefore Germany would need to “participate”, without going into… pic.twitter.com/AQLaLN5FXr
— German Aid to Ukraine 🇩🇪🤝🇺🇦 (@deaidua) February 29, 2024
Taurus missiles have a powerful warhead capable of destroying reinforced targets or infrastructure such as bridges and reach deep behind enemy lines, something Kyiv is desperately asking for. Last year, the UK government confirmed that it had sent long-range Storm Shadow missiles to Ukraine, with France — which calls its version of the same missile SCALP — following shortly afterward.
Responding to the comments, the UK ex-Defense Minister Ben Wallace, who sent the Storm Shadows, said Scholz was „the wrong man, in the wrong job at the wrong time.”
Was Ben Wallace im Standard sagt!
“Scholz’s behaviour has showed that as far as the security of Europe goes he is the wrong man, in the wrong job at the wrong time.”
👇👇👇 https://t.co/W79ToiBB7I pic.twitter.com/xqd9QUbmCm
— ClancysSon/ #Fellawebel/ Marco 🇺🇦🇮🇱🇫🇷🇵🇱 (@ClancysSon) March 1, 2024
While there was anger in London, Paris was calmer about Scholz’s comments despite broader friction between France and Germany over arming Ukraine, Politico writes. The government had no official comment, but MP Benjamin Haddad from President Emmanuel Macron’s Renaissance party tweeted that the chancellor’s comments created a „diplomatic crisis” with London. „Berlin is very isolated,” he added.
La réaction de Scholz sur les troupes en Ukraine… crée une crise diplomatique majeure entre l’Allemagne et le Royaume Uni. Berlin est très isolé. https://t.co/a5o4sRxs8x
— Benjamin Haddad (@benjaminhaddad) February 29, 2024