Scholz says "it is right" to send arms to Ukraine, but wants to avoid "escalation" of war

Chancellor Olaf Scholz says before he arrived in parliament, he spoke to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

"The reason for the challenges we are facing is the terrible war of aggression against Ukraine," Sky News reports, citing Scholz. 

"A terrible war where the principles we have agreed upon in Europe have been called into question," he says.

"It is right" that in close cooperation with partners they supply arms, he says. 

The chancellor adds that due to the conflict, he has "had to break with what we've been doing in Germany for decades" - a reference to the fact this is the first time German battle tanks will have fought on a European battlefield since the Second World War.

He makes clear that NATO countries should still be cautious not to escalate the conflict. 

"We have war in Europe not very far from here," he says. 

"One thing has to be clear, we will do what is necessary, what is possible to support Ukraine but at the same time we want to make sure there is no escalation of the war between Russia and NATO."