live blog
The German ambassador arrived at the Moscow Foreign Ministry for talks. SPD leader Klingbeil defended the Chancellor’s no to “Taurus” deliveries to Ukraine. All developments in the live blog.
With a view to the intercepted conversation of Bundeswehr officers, the FDP defense expert Strack-Zimmermann warned that German politicians were “attacking each other.” That’s exactly what Russia’s ruler Putin wants, they said together Morning magazine from ARD and ZDF. Nothing new has come to light in terms of content, so she sees no reason to spend weeks dealing with the issue or even to set up a committee of inquiry, as the Union is considering. “The military must always be prepared, even if a chancellor says no, if he changes his mind,” said Strack-Zimmermann. The background to the wiretapping affair must now be dealt with “calmly” and with “sovereignty,” she demanded. It is no surprise that Germany is being bugged.
However, it must now be clarified quickly how the technology of the Bundeswehr and other bodies can be made safe. Germany must prepare better for Russia’s hybrid attacks. “I think that some people’s naivety is now gone,” she said.
What is unpleasant for the Chancellor, however, is that his argument against a “Taurus” delivery – that German soldiers would have to be sent to Ukraine for it – has turned out to be wrong.
The German ambassador to Russia, Alexander Graf Lambsdorff, has arrived in Moscow for a meeting at the Foreign Ministry. There are different representations of the background.
The Russian news agency Tass reports, citing an unnamed insider, that the ambassador has been summoned. The topic is the meeting of Bundeswehr officers that was intercepted by Russia. It is about possible “Taurus” deliveries to Ukraine and a possible attack by Kiev on the bridge to Crimea. This is occupied by Russia in violation of international law and is a central supply route for Russian war material.
According to information from Spiegel and the dpa news agency, however, the conversation had been planned for a long time.
Neither the press office nor the ambassador could be reached for comment. The federal government accuses the Kremlin of wanting to destabilize Germany by publishing the recording.
According to the Russian news agency Tass, a railway bridge near the Russian city of Samara was damaged by the detonation of an explosive device. Railway traffic across the bridge was interrupted, Russian Railways said. However, no injuries were reported.
Russia has reported a series of attacks on its industrial and logistics infrastructure in recent months, for which it blames Ukraine. The Samara region is located about 1,000 kilometers from Moscow in southwest Russia and is one of the country’s heavy industrial centers.
SPD chairman Lars Klingbeil defends the federal government’s rejection of the delivery of “Taurus” missiles to Ukraine. “It is right that the Chancellor has put up a stop sign. We will not become a party to war ourselves,” Klingbeil told the media service “Table.Media”. The Chancellor and Defense Minister examined the use of the “Taurus” and rejected delivery. “I trust the Chancellor and the Defense Minister that they are right.”
The fact that French President Emmanuel Macron publicly speculated about the deployment of ground troops was wrong. “I would have liked Macron to make these suggestions internally and not have a public debate straight away.” Klingbeil referred to the Germans’ fear of a gradual entry into the war. “Many people ask me at events: Can you prevent us from slipping into World War III?” That’s why it was important that the Chancellor sent a clear signal.
The West must now concentrate on ammunition and air defense when helping Ukraine. “Maximum strength, but not so much that we end up taking an unreasonable step and stumbling into a war situation.”