"We must ensure that Ukraine has prospects as a democratic, sovereign nation. It should not be left alone, and this issue needs to be discussed. We reaffirm our solidarity with Ukraine and its support," said Scholz.
At the same time, he stated that he has not changed his stance on prohibiting Ukraine from using German weapons to strike deep into Russia, and emphasized the importance of avoiding further escalation to prevent Berlin from becoming "a party to the conflict."
"And here I want to say, I confirm, I emphasize that I still believe it was right to make a personal contribution to preventing escalation. And I say plainly: the country that is doing more than any other in Europe to ensure that Ukraine is not left without support is also concerned about avoiding escalation," the chancellor stated.