March 7, 2024
2 mins read

German envoy to UK not sorry for leaked call

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has repeatedly ruled out sending Taurus missiles to Ukraine. Berger said Scholz was being careful about how to increase support to Ukraine, so as not to cause “consequences we all don’t want to see”…reports Asian Lite News

The German ambassador to the UK has said there is “no need to apologise” for security breaches which led to a call between top army officials being leaked by Russian sources.

Miguel Berger told BBC one of the participants had likely dialled in via an insecure line. As a result, Russia was able to intercept the call, he said.

In the audio, officials can be heard discussing details of alleged British operations on the ground in Ukraine. Berger hit back at criticism by former Defence Secretary Ben Wallace, who said Germany was “pretty penetrated by Russian intelligence” and “neither secure nor reliable”.

“It is extremely unhelpful what Ben Wallace has done. This is what Russia wants,” Berger said.

Berger also said German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius had called allies to explain Berlin’s position over the leak. He said preliminary results of an investigation by military intelligence showed that the leak was down to “an individual mistake by one of the officers”.

The call had been intercepted because one of the participants had connected in an insecure way, he said. “I think that is a good lesson for everybody: never use hotel internet if you want to do a secure call,” Berger advised listeners of the Today programme.

In the leaked recording, four senior German military officers are seemingly heard discussing the prospect of Ukraine using German-made Taurus cruise missiles to hit the Kerch Bridge, which links Russia to the Crimean peninsula, which was illegally annexed from Ukraine in 2014.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has repeatedly ruled out sending Taurus missiles to Ukraine. Berger said Scholz was being careful about how to increase support to Ukraine, so as not to cause “consequences we all don’t want to see”.

If Germany were to provide Taurus missiles to Ukraine it would create “potential for escalation”, he said. The missiles have a range of around 500km (300 miles) – enough to potentially hit Russian territory.

Ambassador Berger said allies’ focus needed to be on supplying enough ammunition to Ukraine. Kyiv has said it is losing ground to Russian forces in part because of diminishing ammunition supplies.

ALSO READ-Sheikh Abdullah Visits Germany, Meets Top Officials

Previous Story

China, Russia planning nuclear power plant on Moon

Next Story

SC Directs Kerala, Centre to Settle Financial Disputes

Latest from -Top News

Hasina’s Defiant Words Before Ouster

Reportedly before leaving Hasina wanted to record a farewell speech to be aired on television, but military officials declined….reports Asian Lite News Following a violent student uprising last year, the Bangladeshi military

FS Misri in US to Boost Tech, Trade Ties

The meeting, held in Washington, focused on strengthening existing frameworks and building momentum on key tech and trade initiatives…reports Asian Lite News Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri on Wednesday (India time) met with

Activists Targeted Again in Balochistan

The Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) on Tuesday condemned the enforced disappearance of Baloch leader Ghani Baloch, blaming Pakistan’s Law Enforcement Agencies and Frontier Corps….reports Asian Lite News The Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC),

Islamabad-Ankara-Baku Axis Sharpens Against India

Both Turkey and Azerbaijan have openly expressed solidarity with Pakistan and backed Islamabad in its military standoff with India, this month….reports Asian Lite News The evolving alliance between Islamabad, Ankara, and Baku

India Targets Pak Terror Ties in Guyana

The delegation met the Guyanese President, Mohamed Irfaan Ali, who had hosted a dinner to celebrate friendship and shared aspirations between the two nations…reports Asian Lite News Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, currently
Go toTop

Don't Miss

India-UK FTA talks may conclude as early as Sept

India has made at least two visits to the UK,

Indian students begin turning away from UK universities

In the year to March 2024, Indian nationals represented the