Former British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace has slammed German Chancellor Olaf Scholz for his hesitation in providing military aid to Ukraine.
Wallace expressed his opinion in an interview with the German news agency dpa, Wallace believes that Scholz should provide Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine.
"I think the reason is you can't incrementally help Ukraine, you know, a bit of this and a bit of that. Do we want Ukraine to win? Or do we want them to lose? […] Ukraine will abide by any restrictions you put on them. So you could give them Taurus. And you could add all sorts of restrictions about where you want it used or not used," Wallace said.
He also dismissed comments made by Scholz that suggested British and French troops are in Ukraine, programming cruise missiles.
"He was wrong. […] I can't tell you how Storm Shadows and Scalps are programmed. But it doesn't involve people standing around in an airport in Ukraine, it doesn't need to do that," Wallace said.
While he understands Scholz's reasons for concern regarding a possible escalation of the conflict, these are unfounded, Wallace said.
"We've seen throughout this whole process that Russia's red lines are like chalk, they just brush off the chalkboard," he said.
While applauding Germany for ramping up its support for Ukraine, the former minister reiterated his harsh criticism of Scholz's leadership.
"I think he's not a leader for conflict at the moment. And there is conflict on our shores. And I think he, you know, the point he doesn't understand deterrence, he doesn't understand ambiguity, he doesn't seem to understand that in the process we face in dealing with Russia, looking either indecisive, or flip-flopping on certain decisions, or seeming to be out of step with your allies, only aids Putin," Wallace said.
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Wallace served as UK defense secretary from 2019 to 2023.
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Comments (4)
Not all cruise missiles are the same. The Taurus was engineered for one purpose only. First strike against Russia’s missile silos and hardened mobile nuclear garages. Not to destroy as much to weaken the protective caps; giving the US, France and Britain a chance to strike. Germany monitors these structure closely and will know if increased active Russian preparation to launch. Remember…Putin does have control of launch the FSB does. Putin has control of the ballistic submarine force. Giving Ukraine Taurus Cruise Missiles which may be captured or one defective launch Taurus would give Russia the technology, which is top secret and defeat Germany’s mission. One should know the facts rather than go with hysteria.
Biden and Macron blocked the appointment of Ben Wallace for leader of NATO. Instead we got another term for Jens 'do nothing' Stoltenberg.
Biden and Macron have anti British tendencies which have directly harmed Ukraine.
Ben Wallace is an experienced army officer who would by now have NATO in a forward position. Macron wanted to steal that thunder with his speech about troops on the ground in Ukraine.
They are playing games while Ukraine burns. Stop the grandstanding, put a real leader in charge of NATO so all members can act together, France know they cannot go in alone.
Scholz is really showing weakness here, and other European nations are going to need to step up to fill the gaps. Macron needs to do more than just talk tough. Sweden, lets start the process to get those Saab Gripen’s in the hands of Ukrainian pilots. We have to think about immediate needs, and long term ones. The more support Russia sees, the more they will start to break apart, as anti-Putin factions will start coming to the fore, as they increasingly see his war can’t be won.
Ben Wallace has got it right. Two points:
1. It’s not so much hesitation, more like downright refusal. Shame on Scholz.
2. Of all European nations, why is Germany the only one to have long-range missiles? Have the others been sleeping? Can’t other missiles have adaptations to extend their range?