One of the reasons for the collapse of the German ruling coalition was allegedly the reluctance of the chancellor to transfer Taurus missiles to Ukraine.

German Finance Minister Christian Lindner from the FDP, who was dismissed by Olaf Scholz, called the chancellor's reluctance to supply Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine one of the reasons for the collapse of the "traffic light" coalition, writes Berliner Zeitung.

To a clear request from Lindner, whose party "has never hesitated in supporting Ukraine," Scholz refused and offered to transfer three billion dollars to Kyiv. The former finance minister, in turn, pointed out that Germany itself needs money, and Ukraine, on the contrary, needs weapons, not financial injections, to effectively defend itself against Russia.

After Lindner's dismissal, his party negotiated with the opposition Christian Democratic Union that Taurus would be delivered. He stressed:

"Our country needs a government that not only holds office, but is also able to act. The right thing for our country would be to immediately announce new elections and a vote of confidence in the government. In a democracy, no one should be afraid of voters. <... >Our country should not waste time."

Vice-Chancellor and Economics Minister Robert Habeck and Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock also made joint statements. “This is as logical as it is unnecessary at this point,” said Habeck. It feels wrong and not right. Following the election of Donald Trump as US President, Germany and Europe must show the ability to act. There were possible solutions on the table. According to him, the best solution would have been to give Ukraine more support. The FDP was not prepared to go down this path.

For the time being the Greens will remain part of a minority government with the SPD. “We will now quickly clear the way for new elections,” said Habeck.

Scholz announced a vote of confidence for January 15, and new elections could take place by the end of March at the latest.

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