People oppose the delivery more strongly in East Germany than in West Germany.

Six out of ten Germans (61 per cent) are against Germany supplying Ukraine with Taurus long-range cruise missiles, according to a survey conducted by Infratest for ARD’s Deutschlandtrend programme.

Figures show that almost one in three would support the delivery of the missiles: 27 per cent would agree to delivery for use against areas in Russia and a further 3 per cent would agree to delivery without this permission.

The majority in both West and East Germany oppose the delivery of Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine. However, opposition is even stronger in the East (76 per cent) than in the West (56 per cent), with one in five (19 per cent) in the East and one in three in the West (34 per cent) supporting the transfer. The majority of Green Party supporters are the most in favour of sending missiles to Ukraine, with 60 per cent in favour, 30 percent against.

61% of Germans against delivering Taurus cruise missile to Ukraine.

Scholz remains spectacularly unpopular in latest Deutschlandtrend. But that’s not due to his position on Ukraine/Russia being out of step with German electorate.https://t.co/a6Q07JvIMA pic.twitter.com/wDfwgXQyvr

— Thorsten Benner (@thorstenbenner) November 21, 2024

The Taurus is a German-Swedish air-launched, long-range missile designed primarily for precision strikes against ground targets. The missile has a range of 500 kilometers, so it can be launched from a safe distance from fighter aircraft, avoiding the direct threat of air defence systems. The missile is equipped with a dual warhead, the MEPHISTO, capable of destroying fortified targets such as bunkers and underground facilities.