Germany’s three most senior military commanders resigned in protest on Monday over Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s decision to approve the transfer of Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine — the most significant escalation in European weapons policy since the start of the war in 2022.
The commanders — General Carsten Breuer, General Thomas J. Helwang, and Brigadier General Andreas Klupsch — submitted their resignations simultaneously, describing the Taurus decision as one that commits Germany to a war footing without proper parliamentary debate or strategic assessment. Their letter, reported by Der Spiegel, said the decision “fundamentally alters Germany’s role in this conflict” and called for a full Bundestag debate before any further escalation.
Merz responded at a press conference in Berlin, calling the resignations “an act of principled dissent” while insisting the decision stands. “These men served Germany with distinction. But the security situation demands decisive action, and we will not be deterred,” he said. Scholz, whose government had previously blocked Taurus transfers, called the decision “reckless and unnecessary.”
Russia’s foreign ministry warned of “direct and irreversible consequences” if German-made Taurus missiles are used against Russian territory. The Kremlin said the decision represented a “dangerous escalation by a Nato member state.”
Ukraine’s commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrsky confirmed Kyiv had received the first Taurus systems and said they were being integrated into operational planning. “We are grateful to Germany for this decision. These systems save lives,” he said.
The resignations have triggered a political crisis within Merz’s coalition. Three junior defence ministry officials also resigned in solidarity, and the SPD parliamentary leader called for an emergency session of the defence committee. Polling shows 58% of Germans oppose Taurus transfers to Ukraine.
The decision comes as EU leaders convene an emergency summit in Brussels to finalise the eurozone’s joint defence fund and respond to Washington’s demand that Nato allies commit to 5% of GDP on defence spending. Orbán’s revelation that back-channel Russia-Ukraine ceasefire talks are already underway has further fractured EU unity, with Spain and Italy pushing for a parallel diplomatic track while Poland and the Baltic states refuse to participate.
Ukraine struck a Russian oil refinery in Volgograd overnight — 900 kilometres inside Russian territory — in what analysts called its longest-range strike of the war. Five sailors remain missing in the Black Sea following last week’s drone strike on civilian cargo ships.Source: BBC News Europe, Al Jazeera, Reuters, Der Spiegel, POLITICO Europe (June 8, 2026)