Pressure mounted on German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to send Taurus missiles to Ukraine as lawmakers from his governing coalition voted on Thursday (22 February) for a resolution to deliver “long-range weapon systems” to Ukraine.

While France and Britain have passed on their own long-range SCALP/Storm Shadow missiles to Ukraine, Chancellor Scholz (SPD, S&D) has mystified allies with his persistent reluctance to deliver equivalent German Taurus missiles.

Long-range weapons to strike behind enemy lines are among the most urgently needed weapons, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasised at the Munich Security Conference (MSC) last weekend.