Scholz recalled his conversation with Putin and defended deployment of US missiles in Germany
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has defended the deployment of American long-range missile weapons in Germany.
The politician said this on Wednesday, July 24, at a traditional summer press conference in Berlin, DW reports, Censor.NET informs.
According to the chancellor, the deployment of US missiles in Germany will serve as a deterrent, as such weapons will ensure that Germany will not be attacked.
At the same time, Scholz dismissed fears that the planned deployment of U.S. missile weapons could lead to an escalation in relations with Russia. The German chancellor pointed out that the arms control regime had been carefully developed and verified.
According to the politician, Germany "needs deterrence capabilities in addition to what we already have, such as cruise missiles and long-range conventional weapons."
Scholz also mentioned that Russia once withdrew from the arms control regime.
"We would all like to live again in a world in which arms control is of great importance... But now we are talking about guaranteeing our security through the necessary deterrence to prevent war," the German Chancellor said.
The head of the German government also recalled his visit to Moscow in February 2022, shortly before the start of Russia's full-scale aggression against Ukraine. Back then, he met with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin to discuss arms control and where missile systems should be deployed. However, as the politician noted, Putin was not interested in any of this at the time, as the Kremlin leader was determined to launch a full-scale war against Ukraine, for which he had been preparing for a long time.
In addition, in order to prevent the deployment of US long-range missiles in Germany, Russia must first end its war against Ukraine, Scholz is convinced.
"The first thing Russia should do is to stop its terrible aggressive war against Ukraine and abandon its attempt to conquer the whole country," the German Chancellor said.
Earlier, on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Washington on July 9-11, the US and German governments announced that the US intends to deploy long-range missile systems in Germany starting in 2026, some of which will reach as far as Russia.
