Scholz says Europe must not let Putin win war in Ukraine
Davos, Switzerland, May 26 (EFE).- German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Thursday that Europe could not allow Russian President Vladimir Putin to win the war in Ukraine.
“We cannot allow Putin to win this war and I firmly believe he will not win it,” Scholz said at the World Economic Forum in Davos, which closes its annual meeting Thursday.
The German chancellor took aim at Putin’s invasion of Ukraine and said Russia had failed to achieve any of its strategic objectives and that his dream of occupying the entire country was further away than ever.
Sholz warned the global cooperation system that was designed after World War II was at stake.
“A major nuclear power is behaving as if it has the right to redraw borders,” he said.
“Putin wants a return to a world order in which strength dictates what is right — in which freedom, determination and sovereignty are not for everyone.”
The chancellor said Putin had underestimated the vigor and unity of the international community’s response.
“We have imposed the toughest and most far-reaching sanctions” against Russia, Scholz added.
The chancellor noted that the war in Ukraine, which has dominated talks in Davos this year, had paved the way for a significant shift in German defense policy.
“For the first time, Germany is supplying weapons to a war zone, including heavy weapons,” the chancellor told the audience.
An unprecedented €100 billion ($106 billion) investment will buffer Germany’s military in the coming years.
Scholz spoke of Europe’s dependence on Russian oil and gas, saying that Germany had pledged to end its reliance on coal and that the European Union was aiming to stop using Russian oil by the end of the year.
He added that alternative gas supplies were also under development and a drive to build necessary infrastructure at an unprecedented rate was underway.
Both strategies will ensure that Germany achieves climate neutrality by 2045.EFE
vh-is/ch/mp
