Ex-Defence Secretary Ben Wallace tore a strip off German Chancellor Olaf Scholz after he appeared to suggest British troops are helping Ukraine to fire long range missiles.
The former Cabinet minister accused him of “not only dangerous use of facts but also often wrong facts!”
In withering criticism of Mr Scholz, Mr Wallace told The Standard: “Scholz’s behaviour has showed that as far as the security of Europe goes he is the wrong man, in the wrong job at the wrong time.”
The German Chancellor has been slow to agree to send military equipment, including tanks, to Ukraine to defeat Vladimir Putin’s invasion which has entered its third year.
He sparked fresh controversy with comments when voicing reluctance to send Taurus long-range cruise missiles to Ukraine, pointing to a risk of his country becoming directly involved in the war.
Britain and France have long since announced that they were sending Storm Shadow and Scalp long-range missiles, respectively, to Ukraine.
Mr Scholz said on Monday that the Taurus is “a very far-reaching weapon” and added: “What is being done in the way of target control and accompanying target control on the part of the British and the French can’t be done in Germany. Everyone who has dealt with this system knows that.”
Asked if he’s worried that German soldiers would have to go to Ukraine to control what the missiles target, the Chancellor said that “German soldiers must at no point and in no place be linked to targets this (Taurus) system reaches,” and added “not in Germany either.”
His comments led to reports that British soldiers are in Ukraine helping with weapons system, or at least helping to fire them remotely.
Mr Wallace added: “Time and time again Germany has been last to help Ukraine. At every stage they have had to be pushed or embarrassed into doing anything. That isn’t leadership that is followship.
“Scholz‘s latest gaffe shows that when his excuses are exposed he lashes out with not only dangerous use of facts but also often wrong facts!”
Alicia Kearns, chair of the Commons foreign affairs committee, said: “Scholz’s comments are irresponsible and a slap in the face to allies.
“We have a choice. Either we give Ukraine what it needs, or we will see more bloodshed and a complete failure of deterrence.
We gave Storm Shadow, we all have to give what we can, Scholz should give Taurus and stop holding back the security of Europe.”
In a terse statement, the Ministry of Defence in London said: “Ukraine’s use of Storm Shadow and its targeting processes are the business of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and has successfully put pressure on Russian forces.
“The UK, along with other allies, is providing a range of equipment to Ukraine to help it counter Russia’s illegal and unprovoked aggression.”
Germany is now the second-biggest supplier of military aid to Ukraine after the United States and is further stepping up its support this year.
But Mr Scholz has stalled for months on Ukraine’s desire for Taurus missiles, which have a range of up to 310 miles and could in theory be used against targets far into Russian territory.
He was also slow to agree for Germany to send Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine.
The Chancellor has not stated definitively that Taurus systems will not be delivered but offered the clearest explanation yet of his hesitancy, which has annoyed both Germany’s Conservative opposition and some in his own three-party coalition.
Mr Scholz has long emphasized his determination to help Ukraine without escalating the war and drawing Germany and NATO into it, and stressed that no German soldiers will go to Ukraine.
He suggested that the German debate over Taurus missiles has lost sight of what Ukraine actually needs now.
“What Ukraine is missing is ammunition at all possible distances, but not decisively this thing from Germany,” he said.
No10 has ruled out sending UK troops to Ukraine and a huge US military aid package for Kyiv is currently being blocked in Washington by Republicans.
