Poll: 52% of Germans are against providing Ukraine with Taurus missiles. Over half of the surveyed citizens of Germany are currently opposed to providing Ukraine with long-range Taurus missiles, which Kyiv requested for striking Russian military targets deep within enemy territory.
These findings are based on the results of a recent ARD-DeutschlandTrend survey published on Friday.
52% of eligible German voters believe that Germany should not supply long-range cruise missiles to Ukraine, which could be used against targets at greater distances, while 36% are in favor.
Support among residents of western regions of Germany is at 40%, notably higher than in the eastern regions (21%). Another 12% do not have a definite opinion on the matter.
In terms of political party supporters, the highest approval for providing Taurus missiles to Ukraine is observed among the "Greens," who are part of the governing coalition: 68% are in favor, and 23% are against. Among supporters of the Free Democrats, also part of the Berlin coalition, support for providing Taurus stands at 56%. Opinions are evenly divided among Social Democrats (42% for and 42% against) and the center-right opposition bloc CDU/CSU (45% for and 48% against).
The lowest level of approval, as predicted, is among voters of the far-right "Alternative for Germany" party – at 18%.
Taurus missiles are among the most modern weaponry of the German Air Force. In terms of characteristics, Taurus is similar to the Storm Shadow cruise missiles, which have already been supplied to Ukraine by the United Kingdom and France (known under the name SCALP).
At the same time, the missile is capable of striking targets even further, at distances of up to 500 kilometers, thanks to a more advanced jet engine, without the aircraft entering the enemy's airspace. Taurus flies at a speed of nearly 1,000 km/h and at a very low altitude, less than 50 meters above the ground, making it difficult to detect by enemy radar systems
