diff --git a/debian/patches/cp-improve-symlink-handling.patch b/debian/patches/cp-improve-symlink-handling.patch
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..2ce8c96eceb946255b4e0db9708992650c4123a4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/debian/patches/cp-improve-symlink-handling.patch
@@ -0,0 +1,194 @@
+From: Michael Debertol <michael.debertol@gmail.com>
+Date: Thu, 17 Jun 2021 22:26:13 +0200
+Subject: cp: improve symlink handling
+
+Origin: upstream, https://github.com/uutils/coreutils/commit/12a1c87cb8e72f0df8b03594f425f8c98268ec1c
+---
+ src/uu/cp/src/cp.rs | 79 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++---------------------
+ tests/by-util/test_cp.rs | 26 ++++++++++++++++
+ 2 files changed, 70 insertions(+), 35 deletions(-)
+
+diff --git a/src/uu/cp/src/cp.rs b/src/uu/cp/src/cp.rs
+index 569ee78..d6420fb 100644
+--- a/src/uu/cp/src/cp.rs
++++ b/src/uu/cp/src/cp.rs
+@@ -47,7 +47,6 @@ use std::os::windows::ffi::OsStrExt;
+ use std::path::{Path, PathBuf, StripPrefixError};
+ use std::str::FromStr;
+ use std::string::ToString;
+-use uucore::fs::resolve_relative_path;
+ use uucore::fs::{canonicalize, CanonicalizeMode};
+ use walkdir::WalkDir;
+
+@@ -202,7 +201,6 @@ pub struct Options {
+ copy_contents: bool,
+ copy_mode: CopyMode,
+ dereference: bool,
+- no_dereference: bool,
+ no_target_dir: bool,
+ one_file_system: bool,
+ overwrite: OverwriteMode,
+@@ -620,11 +618,12 @@ impl Options {
+ attributes_only: matches.is_present(OPT_ATTRIBUTES_ONLY),
+ copy_contents: matches.is_present(OPT_COPY_CONTENTS),
+ copy_mode: CopyMode::from_matches(matches),
+- dereference: matches.is_present(OPT_DEREFERENCE),
+ // No dereference is set with -p, -d and --archive
+- no_dereference: matches.is_present(OPT_NO_DEREFERENCE)
++ dereference: !(matches.is_present(OPT_NO_DEREFERENCE)
+ || matches.is_present(OPT_NO_DEREFERENCE_PRESERVE_LINKS)
+- || matches.is_present(OPT_ARCHIVE),
++ || matches.is_present(OPT_ARCHIVE)
++ || recursive)
++ || matches.is_present(OPT_DEREFERENCE),
+ one_file_system: matches.is_present(OPT_ONE_FILE_SYSTEM),
+ overwrite: OverwriteMode::from_matches(matches),
+ parents: matches.is_present(OPT_PARENTS),
+@@ -876,7 +875,14 @@ fn copy_source(
+ options: &Options,
+ ) -> CopyResult<()> {
+ let source_path = Path::new(&source);
+- if source_path.is_dir() {
++ // if no-dereference is enabled and this is a symlink, don't treat it as a directory
++ if source_path.is_dir()
++ && !(!options.dereference
++ && fs::symlink_metadata(source_path)
++ .unwrap()
++ .file_type()
++ .is_symlink())
++ {
+ // Copy as directory
+ copy_directory(source, target, options)
+ } else {
+@@ -917,7 +923,7 @@ fn copy_directory(root: &Path, target: &Target, options: &Options) -> CopyResult
+ return Err(format!("omitting directory '{}'", root.display()).into());
+ }
+
+- let root_path = Path::new(&root).canonicalize()?;
++ let root_path = env::current_dir().unwrap().join(root);
+
+ let root_parent = if target.exists() {
+ root_path.parent()
+@@ -938,17 +944,15 @@ fn copy_directory(root: &Path, target: &Target, options: &Options) -> CopyResult
+ #[cfg(any(windows, target_os = "redox"))]
+ let mut hard_links: Vec<(String, u64)> = vec![];
+
+- for path in WalkDir::new(root).same_file_system(options.one_file_system) {
++ for path in WalkDir::new(root)
++ .same_file_system(options.one_file_system)
++ .follow_links(options.dereference)
++ {
+ let p = or_continue!(path);
+ let is_symlink = fs::symlink_metadata(p.path())?.file_type().is_symlink();
+- let path = if (options.no_dereference || options.dereference) && is_symlink {
+- // we are dealing with a symlink. Don't follow it
+- match env::current_dir() {
+- Ok(cwd) => cwd.join(resolve_relative_path(p.path())),
+- Err(e) => crash!(1, "failed to get current directory {}", e),
+- }
+- } else {
+- or_continue!(p.path().canonicalize())
++ let path = match env::current_dir() {
++ Ok(cwd) => cwd.join(&p.path()),
++ Err(e) => crash!(1, "failed to get current directory {}", e),
+ };
+
+ let local_to_root_parent = match root_parent {
+@@ -972,9 +976,10 @@ fn copy_directory(root: &Path, target: &Target, options: &Options) -> CopyResult
+ };
+
+ let local_to_target = target.join(&local_to_root_parent);
+-
+- if path.is_dir() && !local_to_target.exists() {
+- or_continue!(fs::create_dir_all(local_to_target.clone()));
++ if is_symlink && !options.dereference {
++ copy_link(&path, &local_to_target)?;
++ } else if path.is_dir() && !local_to_target.exists() {
++ or_continue!(fs::create_dir_all(local_to_target));
+ } else if !path.is_dir() {
+ if preserve_hard_links {
+ let mut found_hard_link = false;
+@@ -1232,22 +1237,8 @@ fn copy_helper(source: &Path, dest: &Path, options: &Options) -> CopyResult<()>
+ ReflinkMode::Never => {}
+ }
+ }
+- } else if options.no_dereference && fs::symlink_metadata(&source)?.file_type().is_symlink() {
+- // Here, we will copy the symlink itself (actually, just recreate it)
+- let link = fs::read_link(&source)?;
+- let dest: Cow<'_, Path> = if dest.is_dir() {
+- match source.file_name() {
+- Some(name) => dest.join(name).into(),
+- None => crash!(
+- EXIT_ERR,
+- "cannot stat ‘{}’: No such file or directory",
+- source.display()
+- ),
+- }
+- } else {
+- dest.into()
+- };
+- symlink_file(&link, &dest, &*context_for(&link, &dest))?;
++ } else if !options.dereference && fs::symlink_metadata(&source)?.file_type().is_symlink() {
++ copy_link(source, dest)?;
+ } else if source.to_string_lossy() == "/dev/null" {
+ /* workaround a limitation of fs::copy
+ * https://github.com/rust-lang/rust/issues/79390
+@@ -1264,6 +1255,24 @@ fn copy_helper(source: &Path, dest: &Path, options: &Options) -> CopyResult<()>
+ Ok(())
+ }
+
++fn copy_link(source: &Path, dest: &Path) -> CopyResult<()> {
++ // Here, we will copy the symlink itself (actually, just recreate it)
++ let link = fs::read_link(&source)?;
++ let dest: Cow<'_, Path> = if dest.is_dir() {
++ match source.file_name() {
++ Some(name) => dest.join(name).into(),
++ None => crash!(
++ EXIT_ERR,
++ "cannot stat ‘{}’: No such file or directory",
++ source.display()
++ ),
++ }
++ } else {
++ dest.into()
++ };
++ symlink_file(&link, &dest, &*context_for(&link, &dest))
++}
++
+ /// Generate an error message if `target` is not the correct `target_type`
+ pub fn verify_target_type(target: &Path, target_type: &TargetType) -> CopyResult<()> {
+ match (target_type, target.is_dir()) {
+diff --git a/tests/by-util/test_cp.rs b/tests/by-util/test_cp.rs
+index 1fa8212..bac7e2a 100644
+--- a/tests/by-util/test_cp.rs
++++ b/tests/by-util/test_cp.rs
+@@ -1074,3 +1074,29 @@ fn test_cp_one_file_system() {
+ }
+ }
+ }
++
++#[test]
++fn test_copy_dir_symlink() {
++ let (at, mut ucmd) = at_and_ucmd!();
++ at.mkdir("dir");
++ at.symlink_dir("dir", "dir-link");
++ ucmd.args(&["-r", "dir-link", "copy"]).succeeds();
++ assert_eq!(at.resolve_link("copy"), "dir");
++}
++
++#[test]
++fn test_copy_dir_with_symlinks() {
++ let (at, mut ucmd) = at_and_ucmd!();
++ at.mkdir("dir");
++ at.make_file("dir/file");
++
++ TestScenario::new("ln")
++ .ucmd()
++ .arg("-sr")
++ .arg(at.subdir.join("dir/file"))
++ .arg(at.subdir.join("dir/file-link"))
++ .succeeds();
++
++ ucmd.args(&["-r", "dir", "copy"]).succeeds();
++ assert_eq!(at.resolve_link("copy/file-link"), "file");
++}
diff --git a/debian/patches/cp-move-symlink-check-to-the-right-place.patch b/debian/patches/cp-move-symlink-check-to-the-right-place.patch
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..95e411b9e22d8256d49798924838bca011b1270c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/debian/patches/cp-move-symlink-check-to-the-right-place.patch
@@ -0,0 +1,41 @@
+From: Michael Debertol <michael.debertol@gmail.com>
+Date: Fri, 18 Jun 2021 11:42:37 +0200
+Subject: cp: move symlink check to the right place
+
+Origin: upstream, https://github.com/uutils/coreutils/commit/315bfd65a3f07221abdb262ba8731d364441e581
+---
+ src/uu/cp/src/cp.rs | 14 ++++++--------
+ 1 file changed, 6 insertions(+), 8 deletions(-)
+
+diff --git a/src/uu/cp/src/cp.rs b/src/uu/cp/src/cp.rs
+index d6420fb..4b93b3a 100644
+--- a/src/uu/cp/src/cp.rs
++++ b/src/uu/cp/src/cp.rs
+@@ -875,14 +875,7 @@ fn copy_source(
+ options: &Options,
+ ) -> CopyResult<()> {
+ let source_path = Path::new(&source);
+- // if no-dereference is enabled and this is a symlink, don't treat it as a directory
+- if source_path.is_dir()
+- && !(!options.dereference
+- && fs::symlink_metadata(source_path)
+- .unwrap()
+- .file_type()
+- .is_symlink())
+- {
++ if source_path.is_dir() {
+ // Copy as directory
+ copy_directory(source, target, options)
+ } else {
+@@ -923,6 +916,11 @@ fn copy_directory(root: &Path, target: &Target, options: &Options) -> CopyResult
+ return Err(format!("omitting directory '{}'", root.display()).into());
+ }
+
++ // if no-dereference is enabled and this is a symlink, copy it as a file
++ if !options.dereference && fs::symlink_metadata(root).unwrap().file_type().is_symlink() {
++ return copy_file(root, target, options);
++ }
++
+ let root_path = env::current_dir().unwrap().join(root);
+
+ let root_parent = if target.exists() {
diff --git a/debian/patches/series b/debian/patches/series
index cfcf418ddfbdc1646dcc1840f2595d448cbc706d..ca4378e7c6c1c6a1f4b256c2bb8f75286c70a717 100644
--- a/debian/patches/series
+++ b/debian/patches/series
@@ -14,6 +14,8 @@ Sort-Implement-stable-sort-ignore-non-printing-month.patch
Ignore-a-test.patch
Sort-Various-fixes-and-performance-improvements.patch
sort-implement-k-and-t-support.patch
+cp-improve-symlink-handling.patch
+cp-move-symlink-check-to-the-right-place.patch
# Apertis patches
sort-fix-dependencies-versions.patch