German chancellor urges Russian leader to forget about use of nuclear weapons

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has said that Germany calls on Russian President Vladimir Putin to forget about the use of nuclear weapons against Ukraine.

The chancellor said in an interview with Neue Osnabrucker Zeitung that he supports the US position on this issue.

“President Putin makes one mistake after another. He could immediately put an end to this war by withdrawing his troops and then starting negotiations with Kyiv,” Scholz said in an interview with Neue Osnabrucker Zeitung.

The German chancellor called President Putin's mobilisation "an act of desperation and a panicked reaction to the failures of the Russian Armed Forces in eastern Ukraine".

When asked whether Scholz believes in the use of nuclear weapons by the Russian president, he replied that "no one can know for sure".

"Who knows? However, like US President Joe Biden, I would like to appeal to Russia and say - Forget about it,” Scholz noted.

The chancellor also drew attention to the fact that Germany will continue supporting Ukraine, in particular, on the issue of weapons.

"Germany supports Ukraine and is doing its best to prevent a direct conflict between NATO and Russia," Scholz said.