The Missiles Are Coming. So Are the Oligarchs.

If Putin and Orbán Fall Together, the Bros Lose Everything

When the orders don’t fly, the credibility of your support is genuinely questionable.

The only complaint I still hold against Chancellor Merz is this: the big, bold bulk order for Taurus missiles never came. Yes, he’s leading a coalition government. And yes, his junior partner is the SPD — the same party that, under former Chancellor Olaf Scholz, steadfastly blocked the delivery of Taurus missiles.

But that still doesn’t absolve Merz. He had the chance to mark a clear break. He didn’t take it. He needs to place that order — for Europe’s sake, for Germany’s sake, and for the future’s sake.

The pattern is clear for anyone paying attention. It started with one of the geniuses of our century, Jake Sullivan. The tactic? Never place a large enough order. Then, when the moment of decision arrives, hide behind “low stock” excuses. Now everyone uses that move — especially when they want to stay in the shadows.

So here’s a better way to measure real commitment: just weigh the size of the orders.

Take the €8.3 billion order that Olaf Scholz’s government placed with Rheinmetall in 2023. That one order was a key reason why Rheinmetall is now the world’s number one artillery shell manufacturer. There were several more big contracts after that — and no one is getting close to Rheinmetall’s production capacity for at least a…