March 4, 2024 at 12:54PM
The German Ministry of Defense has confirmed the authenticity of leaked recordings of high-ranking officials discussing Ukraine’s war efforts. The call was hosted on Cisco’s WebEx platform and possibly intercepted by a Russian agent. Discussions reveal potential support for Ukraine, including supplying Taurus missiles. Russia has used the leak to apply pressure. The situation is currently under investigation.
Based on the meeting notes provided, the key takeaways are:
– A leaked recording of a call between high-ranking officials from the German Ministry of Defense discussing war efforts in Ukraine has been confirmed as legitimate by the Bundeswehr.
– The call was hosted on and tapped via Cisco’s WebEx video conferencing platform instead of secure military-grade communications, raising concerns about potential security breaches within the platform.
– Roderich Kiesewetter, deputy chairman of the German parliament’s oversight committee, suggested that the leak may have been caused by a Russian agent or an intrusion into the Bundeswehr’s implementation of WebEx.
– The leaked conversation allegedly involved discussions about potential military support for Ukraine, including the delivery of Taurus long-range missiles to Ukraine for use in attacks, despite Chancellor Olaf Scholz repeatedly declining such deliveries to avoid escalating the conflict.
– Russia has been implicated in the release of the recording and has been using it as leverage to pressure Germany to drop talks over missile deliveries.
– The leak is being characterized by German officials as an act of “information war” and “hybrid disinformation attack,” with calls for a thorough investigation into the matter.
These takeaways highlight the gravity of the situation, including concerns about security breaches, diplomatic tensions, and the potential implications for Germany’s relationship with Russia and its involvement in the Ukraine conflict.