About the delivery of fighter aircraft or the dispatch of ground forces to Ukraineemphasizes the chancellor Olaf Soltz and warns of the risk of “long bidding” for weapons systems.

He reiterates that the condition for the normalization of the situation in Ukraine is the withdrawal of Russian troops, and the goal remains to prevent a confrontation between NATO and Russia.

“I will talk to (Vladimir) Putin again, because we need to talk to each other. It depends on him to withdraw troops from Ukraine and put an end to this terrible and senseless war that claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands of people. As long as Russia continues the war with unrelenting aggression, the current situation will not change,” Mr. Soltz states in an interview with Tagesspiegel and clarifies that his negotiations with the Russian president are “not being conducted in a rude tone” yet, and Putin has repeatedly made it clear that he intends “ to integrate parts of the neighboring country by force.” This is unacceptable, the chancellor believes.

Asked about the possibility of the Western Allies sending fighter jets or ground forces to Ukraine, Olaf Soltz responded to the “risk of continued bargaining on weapons systems” and made it clear that Berlin would continue to make decisions in coordination with its international partners, but the question of aviation or the army even did not rise.

“When a decision is not made and another debate begins in Germany, this is not a sign of seriousness and undermines the confidence of citizens in government decisions. Such discussions should not be conducted for the sake of forcing a domestic political profile, ”he notes, looking back at the recent decision to send Leopard-2 tanks to Ukraine.

“The German Chancellor, who takes his oath seriously, must do everything so that Russia’s war against Ukraine does not turn into a war between Russia and NATO,” emphasizes Mr. Scholz, adding that at the moment such a war is not being waged, and neither is he himself. “Such an escalation will not be tolerated.” This goal is shared by everyone in the government, he elaborates, referring obliquely to Foreign Minister Analene Bourbock, who caused backlash last week with her statement that “we are not fighting among ourselves, but against Russia.”

The chancellor also cites Germany’s “dynamic” response to the energy crisis with the development of alternative sources, natural gas supplies from Norway and elsewhere, and price containment measures. “Thanks to all these initiatives, the ‘shameful attempts’ of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) and the left to exploit citizens’ fears to their advantage have failed. “We didn’t have a ‘winter of rage’. At this moment, the strength of our democracy, our economy and our social position was shown,” says Olaf Solz.