Allies 'fed up' with German desire to 'tread carefully' with Russia in military support for Ukraine
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Germany sought Tuesday to downplay an audio leak of senior military personnel discussing the war in Ukraine, blaming "individual error" and stressing that Berlin still had the trust of allies. A 38-minute recording of the talks, in which the officers debated the possible use of German-made Taurus missiles by Ukraine, was posted Friday on Russian social media. Kyiv has been calling on Germany to provide it with Taurus missiles, which can reach targets up to 500 kilometres (300 miles) away. Chancellor Olaf Scholz has however declined to approve the deliveries, fearing it could draw Germany into the war. Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron urged Ukraine's allies not to be "cowards" in supporting the country to fight off the Russian invasion. He added that he "fully stood behind" controversial remarks made last week not ruling out the deployment of Western troops to Ukraine, which sent a shockwave around Europe. As Ukraine's European allies seek to strike the right balance between Macron's zealous approach and Germany's extra careful approach, FRANCE 24's François Picard is joined by Dr. Benjamin Tallis, Senior Research Fellow and Head of the Action Group Zeitenwende at the German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP).