German authorities said on Saturday they were investigating after an audio recording was published showing Bundeswehr officers discussing strikes on the Crimean bridge.
The 38-minute recording shows military officials discussing how the Taurus cruise missile could be used by Ukraine, including strikes on the Crimean bridge.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz, in Rome, said German authorities were working to clarify the matter “very carefully, very intensively and very quickly.”
According to the German chancellor, one of the key reasons for not sending the Taurus to Ukraine is that Germany would be directly involved in the conflict.
We will not send European soldiers to Ukraine. We don’t want a war between Russia and NATO. And we will do all we can to prevent it, Scholz told a meeting of the Party of European Socialists in Rome on Saturday.
Germany’s defence ministry has said it is investigating whether communications within the air force were intercepted by Russia. A statement reported by the dpa news agency said the following:
“According to our assessment, a conversation within the air force was intercepted. We cannot currently say with certainty whether changes have been made to the recorded or written version that is circulating on social media.”
Germany is now the second-largest provider of military aid to Ukraine after the US and will increase its support even further this year. But Scholz has been stalling Ukraine’s desire for Taurus missiles for months.
Earlier, French President Emmanuel Macron said the future deployment of Western troops to Ukraine was not “ruled out.”
