German authorities said on Saturday that Russia had released an audio recording in which German military officers allegedly discussed support for Ukraine, including the possible use of Taurus missiles.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who was in Rome on Saturday, called it a “very serious issue” and said German authorities were working to clarify the matter “very carefully, very focused and very quickly.” Germany’s dpa news agency reported his comments.

In the 38-minute recording, officers discussed Ukraine’s use of Taurus long-range cruise missiles. Germany has been debating whether to provide missiles to Ukraine as Ukraine suffers setbacks on the battlefield after two years of war and U.S. military aid is held up by Congress.

Earlier this week, Scholz said he remained reluctant to send Taurus missiles to Ukraine, citing the risk of Germany being drawn directly into the war. His indecision is a source of friction in his three-party coalition and has angered Germany’s conservative opposition.

But in the purported recording, German officers discussed the theoretical possibility of using missiles in Ukraine.

The German Defense Ministry said it was investigating whether communications within the air force were intercepted by Russia. “Based on our assessment, a conversation within the air force was intercepted,” the dpa news agency said in a statement. “We are currently unable to determine whether the recording or written version circulating on social media has changed.”

Margarita Simonyan, editor-in-chief of RT, a Russian state-funded television channel, posted the audio on social media.

“In this (…) recording, senior Bundeswehr officers discuss how they will bomb (attention!) the Crimean bridge,” she wrote on the Telegram messaging app, adding that the conversation took place on 2 January 19th. She said one of the officers mentioned plans to travel to Ukraine on February 21 to coordinate strikes against Russian targets.

Germany is currently the second largest provider of military aid to Ukraine after the United States, and will further increase its support this year. But Scholz stalled for months on Ukraine’s desire for the Taurus missile, which has a range of up to 500 kilometers (311 miles) and could theoretically be used to strike targets as far away as Russia.

The German chancellor has long stressed his determination to help Ukraine without escalating the war and involving Germany and NATO, stressing that no German soldiers will travel to Ukraine.

“We will not send European soldiers to Ukraine. We do not want a war to break out between Russia and NATO. We will do everything we can to prevent it,” Scholz told a European Socialist Party conference in Rome on Saturday.

On Monday, French President Emmanuel Macron said he would not “rule out” the possibility of future Western troop deployments in Ukraine, but Germany, Poland and other allies quickly dismissed the suggestion.