UPDATE - Russia summons Germany's ambassador over leaked military talks between officers

CHANGES DECK; ADDS STATEMENT BY RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY; EDITS THROUGHOUT

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.

In a later statement, the ministry said it demanded Lambsdorff explain the leaked conversation between the senior German officers on the possibility of supplying Ukraine with long-range Taurus cruise missiles.

It also said it demanded an explanation on their discussion about providing Ukraine's military with practical assistance in the use of the missiles against Russian targets, which it said "clearly demonstrates the involvement of the 'collective West,' including Berlin, in the conflict around Ukraine."

"The German diplomat was also told that the ongoing attempts by the German authorities to restrict the activities of Russian journalists in Germany are unacceptable. It is emphasized that such actions will not remain without our strict response," the statement concluded.

Lambsdorff was summoned after Russian media reports Friday on the 38-minute recording of a conversation between the German officers discussing the potential transfer of Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine.

The recording also included discussions on the use of these missiles to potentially strike 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.