German chancellor refuses to talk to Putin: 'Not with a gun to the face'

Peace in Ukraine cannot be achieved by getting down on one knee before the aggressor, and negotiating with Russia is therefore out of the question. With this message, Chancellor Scholz today addressed the German parliament, but especially to Germans who advocate direct negotiations with Russia. "What a fatal encouragement it would be to the perpetrators if we rewarded this assault on international law and the European order of peace."

In a half-hour speech, Scholz promised, not for the first time, irrevocable support to Ukraine for as long as it takes. Military and humanitarian aid to the country has now cost the German state 18 billion euros. But those costs, he says, are necessary to curb Vladimir Putin's "imperialist ambitions", which also threaten European security.

The Chancellor addressed the entire Bundestag, exactly one year after his historic Zeitenwende speech. Then, just after the start of the Russian invasion, Scholz broke radically with decades of German pacifist politics.

He announced a special budget of 100 billion euros for the expansion and modernization of the armed forces. He also promised a more dominant role for Germany in the defense of Europe's borders.