Scholz on the Ukraine war: Don’t escalate and don’t give in

Status: 08/21/2022 4:43 p.m

At the open day in the Chancellery, Chancellor Scholz answered questions from citizens about the war in Ukraine. He defended German policy – and denied that Russian interests had been ignored in the run-up to the war.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz has confirmed that the war against Ukraine must not escalate any further – and that retreating from the Russian invasion is not an option. He was responding to a question from a citizen who had asked about a strategy for ending the war at the public dialogue on the Federal Government’s Open Day.

“This is a war that Putin, Russia, started, and clearly with the intention of conquering its neighboring country – I think that was the original goal,” said Scholz. Russia is currently concerned with gaining territory in eastern Ukraine, said Scholz. But it’s not even certain that it will stay that way.

“Putin actually had the idea of ​​swiping a felt-tip pen across the European landscape and then saying, that’s mine and that’s yours. It doesn’t work that way,” said Scholz. Giving in is not a sensible strategy. The key to ending the war lies in Moscow alone. Scholz does not want to end the dialogue with the Russian President. You have to talk “clearly” with Putin, but you shouldn’t allow yourself to be intimidated.

“Then we won’t get out of wars for 200 years”

Another questioner explained that the West had not sufficiently addressed Russian concerns – Scholz sharply rejected this: NATO membership for Ukraine was not on the agenda. In fact, Putin had been planning this war for a long time because he was of the opinion “that Belarus and Ukraine shouldn’t really be separate states.” This is “absurd”.

The same applies to Ukraine’s alleged historical affiliation with Russia. If all heads of state were to leaf through the history books where their countries had already owned territories, “then we won’t be able to get out of wars for the next 200 years,” warned the Chancellor.

Referring to Ukraine’s aspired EU membership, he added that Russia must also accept when other countries “find democracy and the rule of law important”.

Scholz: Artillery radar should soon arrive in Ukraine

When asked by former Bundeswehr general Klaus Wittmann why Germany was not supplying armored personnel carriers to Ukraine, Scholz defended the previous German arms aid: “Germany is supplying a great many weapons” – including “the most modern and efficient equipment”.

The Chancellor referred to the deliveries of the Gepard anti-aircraft tank, the 2000 self-propelled howitzer and multiple rocket launchers, as well as the planned deliveries of the Iris-T air defense system and the Cobra artillery radar. “It’ll be there soon,” he assured.

Ex-General Wittmann accused Scholz that Germany was not helping Ukraine enough and that it gave the impression that Scholz had been intimidated by Putin.

Minor incident in the Chancellery garden

A minor incident occurred during a public tour of the garden of the Chancellery. Two women asked Scholz for a selfie – but then took off their tops, so that demands for a gas embargo became visible on their bare chests. They were then pushed aside by security guards.

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