MOSCOW: The Kremlin said on Monday that the content of leaked conversations between German officials discussing potential strikes on Crimea proved Western nations were participating in the conflict in Ukraine.
The leaked conversations, which surfaced late Friday on Russian social media, have stirred diplomatic tensions and placed Germany under scrutiny. In the leaked discussions, German officers deliberated on the potential use of German-made Taurus missiles in Ukraine, including targeting strategic sites such as the Kerch Strait bridge linking mainland Russia to Crimea, annexed by Russia in 2014.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov seized on the leaked recordings, claiming they underscored the direct involvement of Western nations in the Ukraine conflict. He suggested that the discussions within the audio indicated substantive plans to strike Russian territory.
Germany’s Support for Ukraine Against Russia
As the controversy unfolded, the German ambassador to Russia, Alexander Graf Lambsdorff, was summoned to the Russian foreign ministry. However, conflicting reports emerged regarding the nature of the meeting, with Germany’s foreign ministry asserting it was a prearranged engagement.
The leak has prompted a response from German officials, with Defence Minister Boris Pistorius accusing Russian President Vladimir Putin of attempting to sow disunity and destabilize Germany. Pistorius cautioned against falling for Putin’s tactics in what he described as an “information war.”
Meanwhile, Chancellor Olaf Scholz has remained cautious about providing Taurus missiles to Ukraine, fearing an escalation in the conflict with Russia. Despite pleas from Kyiv for additional military support, Scholz has refrained from matching the actions of other Western allies in supplying long-range missiles.
The leaked conversations have further complicated Germany’s position on military assistance to Ukraine, raising questions about the government’s reluctance to provide advanced weaponry.
