Scholz, German Chancellor, Talks with Putin... "No Change in War Stance... Will Continue Sanctions on Russia"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Eunmo Koo] German Chancellor Olaf Scholz expressed skepticism about the possibility of an early end to the Ukraine war after a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

According to dpa news agency, Chancellor Scholz stated in an interview with the German news outlet T-Online on the 14th (local time) that there has been no change in President Putin's stance on the Russia-Ukraine war. Scholz had a 75-minute phone call with President Putin the previous day to discuss the situation in Ukraine.

In the interview, he argued that the war situation is not turning in Russia's favor. Russia has failed to achieve any of its originally stated war objectives, including securing Ukrainian territory as a buffer zone with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

He rather assessed that this war has breathed new life into the "Western defense alliance." Scholz said, “NATO has not withdrawn; in fact, it has strengthened its eastern forces. With Finland and Sweden joining NATO, the alliance will become stronger.”

Furthermore, he claimed that the Russian military has suffered significant losses, the scale of which is much greater than during the 10-year war following the Soviet Union's invasion of Afghanistan in 1979. He also promised that Germany will continue to impose sanctions on Russia and maintain its weapons support for Ukraine.

He added that President Putin must realize that he can only escape sanctions through peace negotiations with Ukraine, and that the terms of any agreement cannot be dictated by the Russian government. Citing severe food shortages in developing countries, he criticized, “The world and Russia are now paying a very high price due to Putin’s insane idea of expanding the 'Russian Empire.'”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.