Nato is growing reckless over Ukraine – and Russia’s German military leak proves it | Simon Jenkins

An intercepted meeting on sending Taurus missiles to Ukraine suggests the west is on the brink of a risky and futile escalation

The German armed forces are mad. The leaking by Moscow of a 38-minute discussion between the head of the Luftwaffe and senior officers on sending Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine suggests that Nato's will not to escalate the current war is weakening. The meeting, reportedly held on an unencrypted line, had all the secrecy of a teenage groupchat. It boosted Vladimir Putin's claim that this is a war of the west against Russia, with Ukraine as mere proxy.

The west's justified objective in Ukraine was to help foil Putin's attempt to topple Kyiv's elected government. This was achieved in a matter of months, thanks to the Ukrainian army, with western logistical support. At no point did Nato risk that timeworn precursor of so many past European wars, the reckless escalation of a local conflict into a continent-wide one.

Simon Jenkins is a Guardian columnist