German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on the air of the German TV channel ZDF assessed the possibility of lifting anti-Russian sanctions. According to him, this will not happen without an agreement between Kyiv and Moscow.
«Without [достижения] consent [России] with Ukraine, we will not lift sanctions, – quotes the head of the German government TASS. “He (Russian President Vladimir Putin – TASS note) must come to an agreement with Ukraine.”
At the same time, the chancellor noted that this should not be an “imposed peace”, in which Russia will dictate its terms. He stated that “Russia should not win, Ukraine should not lose,” emphasizing that he deliberately chooses just such a wording.
Also, Scholz, answering the presenter’s appropriate question, expressed the opinion that Germany would be able to abandon Russian gas faster than planned, but did not name more specific dates.
The German Chancellor gave an assessment of the actions of the Ukrainian authorities, which in April refused to host the President of Germany, Frank-Walter Steinmeier. “You can’t do that,” the Chancellor said. “It should not be that a country that provides so much military and economic assistance, which is needed for security guarantees that are so important in the future, is told: the president cannot come.”