German opposition leader Merz on transfer of Taurus to Ukraine: I never delivered ultimatum to Putin
Friedrich Merz, leader of the Christian Democratic Union and candidate for the German chancellorship from the opposition CDU/CSU bloc, has rejected German Chancellor Olaf Scholz's accusations about further military assistance to Ukraine, including the supply of Taurus missiles.
This is reported by Tagesschau, Censor.NET informs.
At the SPD's election conference on Saturday, Scholz criticized Merz for allegedly wanting to issue an ultimatum to the nuclear power Russia to supply Ukraine with long-range Taurus cruise missiles. He called it a game of ‘Russian roulette’.
I have never delivered an ultimatum to the Russian president," Merz said before a meeting of the party's parliamentary group in Berlin.
According to him, he proposed offering Ukraine options for action to influence the course of the war, aiming at a ceasefire and the silencing of guns.
As a reminder, the Taurus debate has flared up again in Germany after the United States lifted long-range restrictions on Ukraine and Germany's early elections approached.
The head of the Christian Democratic Union and candidate for the German chancellorship from the opposition CDU/CSU bloc, Friedrich Merz, said that if elected, he would be ready to have a telephone conversation with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin about the settlement of the war in Ukraine under certain conditions.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has repeatedly opposed the provision of long-range Taurus missiles to Ukraine.
