Scholz has officially included a ban on Taurus missiles for Ukraine in his election campaign program.

The Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) has officially included a ban on the transfer of long-range Taurus missiles to Ukraine in the election program of the German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. Previously, Scholz had repeatedly expressed strong opposition to this, in contrast to his main opponent, the head of the CDU Friedrich Merz.

This was reported by Deutsche Welle. The publication refers to a draft of the SPD's election program that has been obtained by several German media outlets.

Thus, the SPD officially supports Scholz's position regarding the obstruction of the transfer of Taurus missiles to Ukraine, a demand that has long been advocated by Kyiv and the opposition in the Bundestag. On the other hand, the SPD has declared its support for the deployment of U.S. long-range missiles on German territory, which poses a more significant risk of escalation and potentially makes Germany one of the primary and important targets of the enemy in the event of a full-scale world war.

It is worth noting that on November 6, the ruling coalition in Germany collapsed, and several ministers resigned. The current Chancellor Olaf Scholz put forward a vote of confidence in the government, which he predictably did not receive, and scheduled new parliamentary elections for February 23, 2025.

For the ruling SPD, the situation is quite dire. According to polls, Chancellor Scholz currently ranks only third among all possible candidates: the first is Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, who recently declined to run in favor of Scholz, and the second is the leader of the opposition CDU/CSU Friedrich Merz. This is why the SPD has attempted to change its candidate.

Pistorius's refusal significantly increases Merz's chances of victory, as he otherwise would not have been able to become Chancellor. Notably, Merz is finally prepared to transfer Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine—provided that his political party wins the elections, and the long-reluctant Scholz loses his position.