Russia summons Germany’s ambassador over leaked military talks between officers

By Burc Eruygur

ISTANBUL (AA) - Russia on Monday summoned Germany’s Ambassador to Moscow Alexander Lambsdorff over leaked military discussions between German officers last week.

Russian media outlets reported Lambsdorff entering the country’s Foreign Ministry building and later leaving the building without giving comments to journalists.

The Russian Foreign Ministry has yet to release a statement on the matter.

Lambsdorff was summoned as Russian media outlets on Friday shared a 38-minute recording of a conversation between German officers in which they discussed the theoretical possibility of Ukraine using German Taurus cruise missiles.

The recording also includes discussions about Ukraine's potential strike on the Kerch Bridge that connects mainland Russia to Crimea, which Moscow illegally annexed in 2014.

A day later, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz pledged a swift clarification of the issue, which he described as a “very serious matter,” during a meeting with German media representatives on the sidelines of his visit to the Italian capital Rome.​​​​​​​

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov also confirmed that Lambsdorff was summoned, telling reporters in a press briefing that the leak suggested that plans by Berlin to attack Russia are being “substantively and specifically” discussed.

He also expressed hope to obtain some results from the investigation announced by Scholz.​​​​​​​