Germany's refusal to send 'Taurus' missiles to Ukraine is highly contentious — but won't break the government

Debate around military aid to Ukraine is deepening the cracks in Germany's administration — but despite "extremely unusual" public rifts, Chancellor Olaf Scholz is expected to prevail.

The question at the heart of a months-long dispute is whether Germany will send Ukraine long-range Taurus missiles, which can independently locate and destroy a target after being released by a carrier.

Scholz has firmly rejected Kyiv's request for these missiles — but he looks increasingly isolated in this position.

One key concern is that Ukraine may need on-the-ground help from German soldiers to work the Taurus missiles — a red line for Scholz.

According to leaked discussions by senior army chiefs reported by German media, there are very few copies of the complex data needed to program Taurus missiles. It means that Germany itself would likely lose access to the material if it handed those over to Ukraine, making it a potentially risky move.

Scholz has also said that Taurus weapons are sufficiently far-reaching that they could hit Russia, which the Kremlin could view as Germany becoming involved in the war. The country's armed forces, the Bundeswehr, could not handle holding a defensive line against Russia, Scholz argues.

Not everyone agrees.

The opposition Christian Democrats, or CDU for short, has played down the risk that Russia might view it as Germany entering the war, while the Free Democrats (FDP) and Greens — coalition partners to Scholz's Social Democrats, or SPD — say the risks are manageable and worthwhile to avoid Russia winning the conflict.  

Since last November, the CDU has repeatedly tabled votes on sending Taurus missiles to Ukraine in Germany's parliament and failed. Even so, the debate has highlighted tensions within the