The German Chancellor Olaf Scholz shocked. When asked whether Putin could use nuclear weapons, he simply replied: “Putin is under enormous pressure.”
In an interview with the “Spiegelsaid: “I’m doing everything to prevent an escalation that leads to a third world war.” The top priority of his Ukraine policy is to avoid the war spreading to NATO. “There must be no nuclear war,” he said in the interview published on Friday.
READ MORE: Day 58 of the war in Ukraine – the live ticker
No-fly zone “would have made NATO a war party»”
In this context, Scholz recalled his no to a no-fly zone over Ukraine, which could only have been enforced if one had also been willing to shoot down Russian aircraft. That would have turned NATO into a war party, said the Chancellor. “I said very early on that we must do everything we can to avoid a direct military confrontation between NATO and a highly armed superpower like Russia, a nuclear power.”
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With a view to the delivery of heavy weapons to Ukraine, there is currently a discussion about whether NATO countries could be perceived by Russia as a war party. Scholz said there was no textbook as to when one would be perceived as a war party. “The book is being rewritten every day, some lessons are still ahead of us.”
“Putin is under enormous pressure”
“It is all the more important that we carefully consider each of our steps and coordinate them closely,” said Scholz. “Avoiding an escalation towards NATO is my top priority. That’s why I don’t squint at poll numbers or let shrill shouts irritate me.” The consequences of a mistake would be dramatic.
Scholz did not answer the question of whether he had the impression that President Putin could use nuclear weapons. However, he pointed out that Russia was in dramatic difficulties because of the sanctions and a chain of military defeats in Ukraine. “Putin is under tremendous pressure,” he said.
“Possibilities of the Bundeswehr are largely exhausted”
When asked about further arms deliveries to Ukraine, Scholz promises in the “Spiegel” interview: “We will definitely still deliver what can still be made available – anti-tank weapons, anti-tank mines and artillery ammunition.” However, he has to admit: “The Bundeswehr’s options for supplying additional weapons from its arsenal are largely exhausted.”
After Selenski had praised the German arms deliveries at the beginning of the Ukraine war, Germany was recently criticized for its lack of commitment to Ukraine.
