Scholz joins chorus of leaders accusing Russia of war crimes

Berlin, Apr 6 (EFE).- German chancellor Olaf Scholz condemned Russia’s bloody war in Ukraine on Wednesday, accusing Moscow of committing war crimes against Ukrainian civilians.

There is mounting evidence of war crimes emerging from towns such as Bucha on the outskirts of the capital Kyiv which was occupied by Russian forces for weeks following the start of the invasion in late February.

Speaking during a parliamentary Q&A session, which also addressed rising cost of living and the coronavirus pandemic, Scholz accused Russia of spreading “cynical statements” and “propagating lies” claiming that the evidence of war crimes had been staged.

“Killing civilians is a war crime,” Scholz said, adding that “the perpetrators and those who commissioned them have to be held accountable and we support all international efforts to document these atrocities and shed light on them.”

“The killing by the hands of the Russian army continues. And this is why once again, I would like to ask the Russian president to end this destructive and self destructive war immediately.

“Withdraw your troops from Ukraine.”

While he reiterated that Germany would not become directly involved in the conflict, Scholz highlighted the extent to which his government had stepped up deliveries of weapons to Ukraine – a major departure from previous governments’ policies – and said Ukrainian refugees were welcome in Germany.

“Thousands of refugees from Ukraine have made their way to Germany over the past few weeks and there will be more. They are welcome here,” he said.

Scholz also addressed the rising cost of energy in Germany in the wake of Russia’s invasion, which he said had sped up his country’s need to reduce its reliance on Russian energy supplies.

“Now more than ever, we will become independent from the use of fossil fuels,” Scholz said. EFE

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