Berlin investigating leak of tapes on aid to Kyiv

BERLIN — German authorities on Saturday said they were investigating after an audio recording, in which German military officers purportedly discussed support for Ukraine, including the potential use of Taurus missiles, was circulated on Russian social media.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who was in Rome on Saturday, called it a “very serious matter” and said that German authorities were working to clarify the matter “very carefully, very intensively and very quickly”. His comments were carried by Germany’s dpa news agency.

In the 38-minute recording, military officers discuss the question of how the Taurus long-range cruise missiles could be used by Ukraine.

A debate has been taking place in Germany over whether to supply the missiles as Ukraine faced setbacks on the battlefield, and with military aid from the United States being held up in Congress.

Earlier last week, Scholz said he remains reluctant to send the Taurus missiles to Ukraine, pointing to a risk of Germany becoming directly involved in the conflict. His hesitancy is a source of friction in his threeparty coalition and also annoyed Germany’s conservative opposition.

But in the purported audio recording, German officers discuss the theoretical possibility of the missiles being used in Ukraine.

Speaking at a diplomatic forum in Turkiye on Saturday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said the recording indicated that Ukraine and its backers “do not want to change their course at all, and want to inflict a strategic defeat on Russia on the battlefield”.

Russia’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova demanded that Germany “promptly” provide explanations for the discussion.