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The Chancellor's concern about "destruction on our territory"

In an interview with the television station WELT, Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) expressed his satisfaction with the results of the G-20 meeting on the Indonesian island of Bali.

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The Chancellor's concern about "destruction on our territory"

In an interview with the television station WELT, Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) expressed his satisfaction with the results of the G-20 meeting on the Indonesian island of Bali. With regard to the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, clear statements had been made. In particular, the use of nuclear weapons had been clearly condemned by the member states, stressed the Chancellor.

The fact that we managed to "hit this nail is something very important," said Scholz. "Absolute security" cannot be gained from this rejection of the use of nuclear weapons, he said. But one could say "that we have done what is now possible to ensure more security". It is now important to find a way "out of this war". The chancellor expressly ruled out a “dictated peace against Ukraine at Russian discretion”.

In a resolution, the vast majority of the G-20 states called on Russia to end the Ukraine war and withdraw its troops, citing a statement by the United Nations. "Most members strongly condemned the war in Ukraine," it said. Russia, also a member of the G20, was taken into account with the sentence: "There were different views and different assessments of the situation."

The chancellor also attributed the fact that it was possible to achieve broad consensus among the G-20 countries in condemning the Russian aggression to his own diplomatic initiatives. "The fact that I put a lot of effort into this has certainly contributed to the fact that we were able to achieve such good results here."

It is necessary to take a new look at the world and meet the countries of the Global South “at eye level”. The fact that he invited representatives from Indonesia, South Africa, Senegal and Argentina to Germany in the run-up to the summit "has had an effect here," said Scholz. “We have to develop a different geostrategic view and realize that the world is becoming multipolar. With many economically strong nations that are at home in Asia, Africa and Latin America.” The integration of China was also “actually successful”.

The Chancellor called the impact of a Soviet-designed rocket on Polish territory, which claimed two lives on Wednesday night, “terrible news”. The fact that there had been “destruction on our territory” should “concern us”. No matter whose missile it was, the incident was "unthinkable without the war and the Russian attacks" on water and heat supply centers in Ukraine. NATO will now “discuss what is necessary and clarify this specific case”.

Scholz was cynical about the fact that Vladimir Putin had increased the number of attacks at the time of the G-20 summit. The Chancellor stated that the Russian ruler had not come to Bali. Scholz stated that he would continue to support Ukraine "as long as necessary".

He dodged the question about the delivery of battle tanks. "Germany is doing a lot," he said, mentioning, among other things, the delivery of anti-aircraft systems and artillery. In every conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, he hears how grateful Ukraine is for German support.

When asked whether the announcement of Donald Trump's US presidential candidacy in Bali had just been an issue for the summit participants, Scholz answered in a terse Hanseatic way. "Perhaps the best news is: not at all."

You can also hear the conversation with Olaf Scholz here:

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