Germany and Britain vow not to let Putin drive wedge between them
Photo: German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Getty Images)
Germany and Great Britain have pledged not to allow Russian dictator Vladimir Putin to drive a wedge between them after a Russian breach of German intelligence revealed discrepancies over how to provide military support to Ukraine, according to Bloomberg.
"I don't want to play into the hands of some Russian narrative about divisions between allies," said British Foreign Minister David Cameron at a joint press conference in Berlin with his German counterpart Annalena Baerbock. He said there is "incredible unity between allies" in NATO.
For her part, Baerbock said Ukraine's allies will not allow the Russian President to intimidate them and sow discord.
"If we have different views, we will discuss that behind closed doors," she told reporters.
Responding to questions about supplying Taurus missiles, she acknowledged that Ukraine needs ammunition and long-range missiles, although she added that there are many different types.
Although Cameron said the decision ultimately lies with Germany, he repeatedly stated that long-range weaponry has helped Ukraine in its fight against Russia.
Great Britain has proposed solutions to the Berlin resistance issue, including a swap deal in which Britain will supply more Storm Shadow missiles, and Germany will then replenish Britain's stocks.
The eavesdropping scandal in Germany
It all started when Russian propagandist Margarita Simonyan published an audio recording in which senior officers of the German Air Force discussed the theoretical possibilities of Ukraine using German Taurus missiles. In particular, the recording addressed the possibility of striking the Crimean Bridge with Taurus missiles.
Later, the German Ministry of Defense confirmed the interception of the conversation by German officers but verified the authenticity of the Russian-published recording.
At the same time, this leak could negatively affect the supply of these missiles to Ukraine,
as German Chancellor Olaf Scholz may ultimately refuse to transfer long-range Taurus missiles to Ukraine, as Russia began to pressure him after German officers' leak of the conversation. For more details, see the material by RBC-Ukraine.
