ALBAWABA - German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said that the G7 countries have not taken Russian President Vladimir Putin's call for a ceasefire in Ukraine seriously.
After the G7 Summit in Italy, Scholz made it clear that the G7 nations did not find the parameters that Putin had offered for a truce with Ukraine to be credible in an interview with the German public channel ZDF.
Scholz emphasized the lengthy preparations over many months to assure continued assistance for Ukraine, confirming that the summit ended with a pledge to provide Ukraine a $50 billion aid package by the end of the year. He emphasized that this pledge does not indicate less support for Putin and that it sends a clear message to all participating countries about arranging coordinated efforts for aid.
When it came to how Putin's ceasefire proposal was received at the G7 Summit, Scholz said that it was seen to be unsincere. Citing Putin's imperialist-driven past acts as well as the harsh military campaign in Ukraine, he made the argument that such suggestions are unlikely to support real peace initiatives.
Scholz emphasized Ukraine's autonomy in pursuing its own interests and reaffirmed the need of reaching a just conclusion in that country. In response to accusations that Germany was impeding the EU's talks on fresh sanctions against Russia, Scholz disputed these charges and emphasized Germany's active involvement in guaranteeing reasonable and successful penalties.
In order to lessen the effects of the sanctions and guarantee future export prospects to nations other than Russia, he also highlighted continuing discussions with leaders of the German economy.
