Chancellor Scholz calls the Russian President for 90 minutes. The result is sobering. Putin still does not see the invasion of Ukraine as a mistake. According to Scholz, a Russian withdrawal is a prerequisite for peace between the two countries.
According to Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Russian President Vladimir Putin continues to believe that he made the right decision in attacking Ukraine. “Unfortunately, I can’t tell you that the realization has grown there that it was a mistake to start this war,” Scholz said of his phone call with Putin the day before.
“There was no indication that new attitudes were emerging there,” said the Chancellor. “But it’s still right to talk to each other and say what I think I have to say on these issues.” Scholz spoke after a meeting with Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibaschvili, who had come to Berlin for his inaugural visit.
On Tuesday, the chancellor spent 90 minutes on the phone with Putin, demanding a complete withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine. He is firmly convinced “that Russia must withdraw, withdraw its troops, so that peace has a chance in the region,” Scholz said.
In the debate about the delivery of battle tanks to Ukraine, which was attacked by Russia, Scholz once again ruled out German going it alone. “Germany is one of the countries that support Ukraine the most: financially, humanitarianly, but also in terms of arms deliveries,” said Scholz. The heavy weapons that have already been made available are “crucial for the development of the conflict in eastern Ukraine” and have meant that Ukraine “is very visibly able to defend its own country”. Scholz said: “We will continue to act along this line.”
