
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Thursday German feels “obliged to do everything to give diplomacy a chance and end the war” in Ukraine.
Scholz, whose comments followed Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky’s address to the German parliament, said that he was “deeply” touched by what Zelensky said.
Echoing similar remarks by western leaders, the German leader also stressed that the conflict is “Putin’s war” and that the Russian president “bears the sole responsibility.”
Scholz said that the aid for Ukraine shall contribute to make “the resilience of the Ukrainians as strong as possible“ and that “the international community found precise means to heavily damage Russia, so that this war already will have dramatic effects on Russia.“
The German leader also said his country is making long-term plans for Ukrainian refugees and recognized the that it is “a huge challenge to take in Ukrainians.” Germany wants to find a solution instead of discussing financing for weeks and months, said Scholz, while stressing that “we want to do it well.“
Further developments of the war will determine how to integrate Ukrainians in Germany Scholz added. “We may not repeat the mistake that this is only temporary. We must plan on integration into kindergartens, schools and job market,“ the chancellor emphasized. “If people will go back, then there will have been a bridge and friendships created between Ukraine and Germany.“