Countries close to Russia question if the war makes any sense to it — Scholz

Countries close to the Russian Federation also doubt that the war in Ukraine makes any sense for the Russian Federation.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said this after returning from China, writes DW.

The Chancellor of Germany also did not rule out that this war would drag on for years.

Scholz believes that countries that maintain close relations with Moscow also question the wisdom of the war in Ukraine.

"Practically no head of government in the world believes that this war has any meaning for Russia. This also applies to those who are very close to Russia," he said at the Freie Presse event in Chemnitz the day before.

Scholz's words came after his return from China, where the German chancellor was on an official visit from April 14 to 17.

The head of the German government noted that China openly declared its readiness to participate in the diplomatic process to end the war in Ukraine. In addition, according to Scholtz, Beijing positively evaluated the peace summit regarding Ukraine, scheduled for mid-June in Switzerland.

"This is a result that cannot be underestimated (…) And it is more than could have been expected three to six months ago," he emphasized.

During his visit to China, Scholz also urged Chinese President Xi Jinping to influence Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the war in Ukraine.

"China's word carries weight in Russia. That's why I asked Xi to put pressure on Russia so that Putin finally stops his crazy campaign, withdraws his troops and puts an end to this terrible war," Scholz wrote on April 16 on the X social network.

At the same event in Chemnitz, the German chancellor said that the war in Ukraine could continue for several more years and that Volodymyr Putin "shouldn't get away with it."

Scholz confirmed that Germany will continue to provide military aid to Kyiv, but at the same time drew attention to the importance of diplomatic efforts.

At the same time, the head of the German government did not rule out that he may again discuss the war in Ukraine with Putin over the phone.

"But, of course, it should be clear what exactly we are going to talk about," he emphasized.

The German chancellor once again accused the Russian president of pursuing imperialist goals and wanting to question the very existence of Ukraine.

We will remind, as Sholtz emphasized recently, Ukraine can receive six Patriot anti-aircraft missile systems from its partners in the North Atlantic Alliance.