According to Chancellor Scholz, Russia’s President Putin has not yet threatened Germany with retaliation. However, there is still a “consensus” with Zelenskyy that Western weapons will not be used for attacks on Russian territory.
So far, Russian President Vladimir Putin has not made any threats against Germany in his telephone calls with Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD). “Putin didn’t threaten me or Germany,” said Scholz in an interview with BILD am SONNTAG.
Britain’s ex-Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Putin threatened to hurt him. Scholz, on the other hand, stated: “In our telephone calls, our very different points of view on the war in Ukraine become very clear. I make it very clear to Putin that Russia has sole responsibility for the war. For no reason, Russia has invaded its neighbor to take parts of Ukraine or the whole country under its nails. We cannot simply accept that, because it fundamentally violates the European peace order. That is why we support Ukraine financially, humanitarianly and also with arms.”
According to Scholz, there is an agreement with the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that the weapons supplied from the West may only be used on Ukrainian territory and not on Russian territory. “There is a consensus on that,” said Scholz.
Scholz dismissed Putin’s assertion that the delivery of Leopard 2 would mean “German tanks again” threatening Russia: Putin’s “words are part of a series of abstruse historical comparisons that he uses to justify his attack on Ukraine.” At the same time, he emphasized the effectiveness of the Bundeswehr: “The Bundeswehr is a great force that ensures the security of our country. When it comes to repelling possible attacks on NATO territory in Europe, the Bundeswehr, with its conventional combat capabilities, plays an important role.”
After the EU summit in Kyiv, Scholz emphasized that there would be no war bonus for Ukraine if it joined the European Union: “The conditions for accession are the same for everyone,” said Scholz. “Every candidate has to meet the necessary criteria to become a member of the EU – there are issues of the rule of law, democracy, respect for human rights and the fight against corruption.”
