Who is spying on the Luftwaffe? And above all: for how long? Chancellor Olaf Scholz has ordered an internal investigation after wiretaps of high-ranking German officials about the Taurus long-range missiles were published on the Russian social network Telegram. In the audio recording – a very serious security breach – we hear the head of the German Air Force, General Ingo Gerhartz, preparing a briefing for Defense Minister Boris Pistorius together with subordinates connected via the Webex platform. Thirty-eight minutes of audio in which the military appears to deny Chancellor Scholz: The technical reasons presented by Scholz for refusing the Taurus to the Ukrainians are almost non-existent.
A new headache for the Chancellor. The CDU-CSU opposition takes the opportunity and demands that he report to parliament: “How long have you been aware of the violation – they ask – what have you done so far?” A terrible end to the week for the Chancellor, who is with began with the almost public dispute with Macron, continued with the allies' anger over the Taurus and ended in the wiretapping affair.
Complicated days
But let's recap. On Monday, before he leaves for the Ukraine summit, Scholz explains in the clearest way yet why he will not give Kiev the bulls. The missiles are very advanced and can hit Crimea and reach almost as far as Moscow. However, Scholz argues, German soldiers would be needed on site to specifically target them: And what is possible in France and Great Britain is not permitted in the Basic Law. The main thing is to avoid escalation with Russia and not to involve German soldiers in the war in Ukraine. Not only. He responded to Macron's proposal to send NATO soldiers to Ukraine two days later by publishing a video. With me as chancellor, he assures the Germans, this won't happen, “you can trust me.”
The meeting between Scholz and Macron, described by the German press as a “catastrophe, a vanity fair between two top players blinded by rivalry at a very delicate moment,” proved to be the least damaging. With the Taurus, Scholz dug an abyss. He argued that Berlin could not do what the French and the British were doing, effectively declaring that Anglo-French special forces were already on the ground, which infuriated not only Paris but London as well. “Incompetent, unprofessional and false statements,” said former British defense secretary Ben Wallace.
Facts and propaganda
Then came the interceptions. Among the many details that emerged, General Gerhartz tells his subordinates that the Ukrainians are already capable of using the Taurus on their own, without the Germans. “We have to assume what the Ukrainians have been doing for some time.” And with regard to the role of the USA, he adds that there are, however, “a lot of people with American accents walking around in civilian clothes.” Russian propaganda – after inventing the leak – used it for their own propaganda. The revived Medvedev thundered: “Germany is preparing for war.” It is no coincidence that Pistorius responded that the wiretapping was an act of “hybrid warfare.”
One question remains: Why Scholz's stubborn refusal to join the Taurus? Which, by the way, were sold to the South Koreans in a batch of 260 pieces. A deep distrust of Ukrainians? Any other considerations, perhaps coordinated with the Americans, in a very accelerated phase of the war and where underground channels may also be activated?
It's also easier to think that Scholz made a political bet. Very weak in the polls, the Chancellor is fighting for survival. And, say voices within the SPD, he would have played the peace card. While Schröder said: “Never a soldier with me in Iraq,” he now seems to be concentrating on the profound German pacifism: “Never in Ukraine, you can trust me.” But Scholz is not Schröder. Even if, like him, he will try to be the peace chancellor, the “peace chancellor” in the next few months.