German Chancellor Olaf Scholz was due to face questions from lawmakers on Wednesday in the Bundestag, the German national parliament, about his stance on supplying Ukraine with long-range Taurus missiles.

Scholz has so far refused to send Kyiv the German-made weapons, saying he fears Germany would be drawn into the war with Russia.

The chancellor’s position has drawn harsh criticism from the conservative opposition CDU/CSU bloc. Others in his ruling coalition, namely the environmentalist Greens and the neoliberal Free Democratic Party (FDP), are also in favor of sending the weapons.

The air-launched Taurus missiles have a range of about 500 kilometers (310 miles) and would allow Ukraine to hit targets well behind the front line.

During the session in the Bundestag, Scholz is expected to make a statement before taking questions from lawmakers on a range of topics, from arms for Ukraine to the economy.

Russia spy leak also on the agenda 

Later, during a debate requested by the far-right Alternative for Germany party (AfD), lawmakers are to address Russia’s interception of a sensitive conversation about Taurus missiles by senior Bundeswehr officers that was leaked in early March.

In the call, the military officials can be heard discussing the possible use of the Taurus system by Kyiv. They also mention that the missiles could, under certain conditions, be launched by Ukraine without involvement by German officials — contradicting earlier statements by Scholz.

He has previously said German soldiers would be required on-site to program the missiles.  

nm/sms (AFP, dpa, Reuters)

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