Berlin (dpa) – Putin must completely withdraw his troops from the territory of Ukraine, the SPD politician said in Berlin on Thursday. “In attacking Ukraine, Russian President Putin is once again blatantly violating international law,” Scholz stressed, saying that he was endangering peace throughout Europe, bringing suffering and destruction to his immediate neighbours and endangering the lives of countless innocent people. “There is no justification for any of this. This is Putin’s war,” Scholz said.
At the same time, the chancellor announced further tough sanctions. “It will become clear that Putin has committed a grave error with this war,” he said. “Our next step is to decide on further tough sanctions against Russia today in close consultation with our international partners in Nato and the European Union.” The aim, he said, was to make it clear to the Russian leadership that it would pay a bitter price for its aggression.
With regard to the Eastern European NATO states, Scholz said: “We understand your concerns in the face of this development only too well. We will stand by you.” Germany stands by Nato’s principle of collective defence, he said.