Although German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has repeatedly stressed that he will not provide Ukraine with "Taurus" cruise missiles, and publicly refuted France** Macron's recent remarks that "the possibility of the West sending troops to Ukraine is not ruled out", but on March 1, local time, Simonyan, editor-in-chief of Russia Today TV, published a recording of a meeting of senior German military officers on social ** showed that they were discussing providing "Taurus" cruise missiles to Ukraine and helping Ukraine launch an attack on the Crimean bridge. And mentioned that American, British, and French soldiers are participating in the war in Ukraine.
In this regard, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on the 2nd that the problem is very serious and must be investigated as soon as possible. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that the recording of this ** was shocking and showed that "the European (supportive) war camp is still strong, and Russia does not see the goodwill of the West to solve the Ukrainian issue." Recently, from Macron's speech to the recording of the secret meeting of German officers, a series of things have shown that the contradictions within NATO and Europe caused by the conflict between Russia and Ukraine are becoming public. German historian Tariq wrote in an article on Russia Today on the 3rd that the most serious consequence of these things may be that the West's so-called "red line" that will abide by itself in Ukraine is not credible at all, and may lead to a direct conflict between NATO and Russia.
"Disaster of the German ** and the army".
Incredible security incidents! Scholz claims that 'this is a very serious matter'. Germany's "Sunday ** newspaper" said on the 3rd that the German Ministry of Defense confirmed on the 2nd that the Russian side had made public the day before that a secret meeting of senior German military officers was wiretapped. "According to our assessment, a conversation within the Air Force has been intercepted," a spokesman for the German Defense Ministry said, adding that they are investigating "whether military communications have been wiretapped" and that military intelligence has "taken all necessary measures." The spokesperson also said it was not possible to determine whether the recording had been altered.
On March 1, Simonyan, editor-in-chief of Russia Today TV, suddenly published a recording of a secret conversation between a senior German military officer on social media. In the recording, Air Force Chief Gerhardz allegedly talks with three colleagues about the details of the delivery of Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine, which Chancellor Olaf Scholz has repeatedly and publicly refused, and the possibility of assisting Ukraine in attacking and blowing up the Crimean bridge. An officer said it might take 10 or even 20 missiles to destroy it. Another officer said in the recording how they would attack to keep Germany from suspicion. During the discussion, they also mentioned that American, British, and French servicemen "have long been directly involved in the conflict in Ukraine." The recording lasted nearly 40 minutes.
A few days ago, in order to avoid the risk of Germany being directly involved in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, Scholz repeatedly and explicitly refused to provide Ukraine with "Taurus" cruise missiles. He once said, "The German people cannot be associated with this (direct involvement in the conflict) in any situation and anywhere." On the 2nd, Scholz, who was visiting the Vatican, reacted quickly and promised to conduct a full investigation into the matter. Speaking during a meeting with Pope Francis at the Vatican, he called it a "very serious incident" and that Germany would "conduct a very careful, in-depth and prompt investigation, which is very necessary".
Scholz's credibility has been questioned", the German Press Agency said on the 3rd that in the scandal of the eavesdropping of senior German military officers, all parties focused on German Chancellor Scholz. Hahn, spokesman for defense policy in the Bundestag of the German coalition party, accused Scholz of obviously making "false statements" when he refused to provide Ukraine with "Taurus" cruise missiles. He demanded an explanation from Scholz and claimed that "the creation of a parliamentary commission of inquiry is not ruled out."
The catastrophe of Germany ** and the army", said the German "Die Zeit", apparently Germany's most classified information has been intercepted by Russian intelligence. This incident is a disaster for both Germany and the German side, and it is also very unpleasant for Germany's relations with NATO. NATO allies may consider whether to still share classified information with Germany in the future. According to the report, this incident shows that in terms of communication security, the German army is not "ready for war." "The question is whether this [wiretapping] is a one-off incident or a structural security issue......I hope that all the circumstances will be investigated. ”
The Russian side demanded an explanation from Germany
According to the TASS news agency, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said at a *** meeting in Antalya, Turkey, on the 2nd that the conversation of the senior German officer who was ** was "shocking", but "this is not surprising." "We do know that NATO soldiers are fighting, either disguised as mercenaries or sometimes as non-NATO soldiers. "NATO counterparts have lost their faces, and I don't know how they will account to their people." ”
Kosachev, deputy chairman of the Russian Federation Council (upper house of parliament), said that the recording tore off the mask of Germany's "non-participation in the conflict". He said that if there is no convincing refutation of rumors and evidence in the future, the Russian side will have to fundamentally re-examine and see what role Germany plays in the Russia-Ukraine conflict. "We see that this recording completely refutes Scholz's public statement that Germany will not participate in this conflict."
Russian spokeswoman Zakharova commented on the blocking of a number of German netizens' social media accounts that circulated the recordings of the meeting on the Crimean bridge discussed by German officials, saying that this was to cover up the crime. "It's called 'hidden traces,'" she said. Will everything follow the German routine of investigating the Nord Stream gas pipeline case? Zakharova also said earlier that the Russian side demanded an explanation from Germany on the matter.
Russia's First Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Polyansky, posted on social media: "The recording of a high-ranking German officer about the preparation of an attack on the Crimean bridge is a shame and a disgrace for Berlin. Germany is showing itself in a new guise: false, vicious, aggressive and Russophobic. This is no longer a country with which we have concluded a treaty of friendship. ”
Roger Keppel, editor-in-chief of the German newspaper "Die Welt", said in a YouTube upload on the 2nd that the German Wehrmacht may be dragging Germany deeper into the war by talking about attacking the Crimean bridge. He criticized the German side for its flippant attitude towards the prospect of a world war, "they did not realize the great danger of such a situation......Germany could once again lead the world to a large-scale conflict. ”
There are many contradictions within Europe and NATO
The confidential dialogue between senior German military officers was **, which not only caused Scholz to be anxious, but also caused an uproar in Europe and NATO. The American "Wall Street**" said that in the dialogue with the **, the German military top brass claimed that the American and British soldiers had really intervened in the conflict in Ukraine a long time ago, which made the latter unhappy, and the United States and Britain have always denied this situation. According to the report, "the information leak has caused anger and could lead to tensions between Germany and NATO".
A few days ago, France's Macron declared that "the West will not rule out sending troops to Ukraine", which was immediately met with strong reactions from NATO allies such as the United States, Britain and Germany. But Macron insisted on not changing his tune, saying that every word he said was "well thought out." The French newspaper Le Monde quoted sources on the 1st as revealing that France is preparing to send a small military unit directly to Ukraine to serve as instructors in the Kiev armed forces and constitute a "deterrent" to Moscow. However, some analysts believe that in addition to trying to deter Russia, France's moves are also aimed at Germany, and try to highlight France's leadership in Europe.
According to Bloomberg, the relationship between Macron and Scholz has been tense for a long time, and Macron's recent remarks have brought the differences between the two sides to a boiling point. Some French ** privately revealed that Macron thinks Scholz is a "coward who lacks courage"; Berlin ridiculed that "Macron wants to be the monarch of Europe, he only puts forward grand visions, but never achieves his goals". According to the report, Macron ridiculed Scholz's statement that "he will not send troops to Ukraine", saying that "many people who say 'forever, forever' today are the same people who said two years ago that 'tanks and planes will never be provided'". The German side retorted that although Macron said that he would send troops to Ukraine, Germany provided 27 times more military aid to Ukraine than France.
The American "Political News Network" said that when Scholz refused to provide Ukraine with "Taurus" cruise missiles, he also publicly claimed that Britain and French officials were operating the missiles they assisted in Ukraine, "which is impossible for the Germans to do." In response, Kearns, chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the British Parliament, called Scholz's statement "irresponsible and a slap in the face to allies." Elwood, a British Conservative MP and former chairman of the Defence Committee of the House of Commons of Parliament, said that such remarks "will endanger the lives of British ** and diplomats in Ukraine" and "this is a blatant abuse of intelligence in order to deliberately distract attention from Germany's reluctance to provide long-range missiles to Ukraine."
TASS said that this series of events reflects the growing differences in the West over the Russia-Ukraine conflict, and it is possible that hardliners within Europe are forcing Germany to have a complete "showdown" over its position. According to the report, it cannot be ruled out that the recording document was deliberately leaked by Britain and France in order to force Germany to take a tougher stance against Russia. This incident also shows that there has been great confusion in Europe and NATO in terms of aid to Ukraine.
German historian Tariq wrote in Russia Today** that the open discord within Europe and NATO is an important signal. But more importantly, the background of their quarrel is that Ukraine and the West are losing this war. The West has two options for this: raise the stakes again or stop losses immediately. For now, it is clear that the "up-ante" faction is still dominant. At the same time, the West has resorted to a strategy of deception or self-deception. In any case, the German side is considering how to help Ukraine attack Russia without leaving evidence, which shows that the West's public statements are often "deliberate lies". While deception is not uncommon in international politics, the international system must be reliable if it is to be stable, the article says. Now that the West is so unreliable, that their so-called "red lines" that they will abide by themselves in Ukraine are simply not credible, which could lead to a direct conflict between NATO and Russia and make nuclear (war) escalation a real possibility.
Global Times special correspondent in Germany and Russia, Xiao Xinxin, Aoki, and Liu Yupeng, special correspondent of Global Times