German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has promised swift clarification following the Russian publication of a recording of German air force officers discussing support for Ukraine.

Speaking on the fringes of a visit to the Vatican on Saturday, he described it as a “very serious matter.”

The conversation between German defence officials was published on Friday by the head of the Russian state broadcaster RT, Margarita Simonyan.

In it, senior air force officers discuss the theoretical possibilities of a deployment of German Taurus cruise missiles in Ukraine.

The clip also contains a politically sensitive reference to the British having “a few people on the ground,” in connection with the deployment of their Storm Shadow cruise missiles delivered to Ukraine.