BRUSSELS (dpa-AFX) – After the uprising of the Wagner mercenaries, Chancellor Olaf Scholz made it clear that Germany is not seeking a change of government in Russia. “Our goal here is not a change of government, a regime change in Russia. Our goal, which we are pursuing, is an independent Ukraine,” said the SPD politician on Thursday before the start of the EU summit in Brussels. “We are not a party to what is happening in Russia,” he stressed. Germany can only observe.
At the same time, Scholz assured the countries on NATO’s eastern flank of support in the event of a further escalation. “In NATO we have promised each other assistance. Every attack on NATO territory is something that we will answer together,” he said when asked about the security of the countries bordering Belarus. Poland had previously announced that it wanted to further secure its eastern border because of the planned transfer of Russian Wagner mercenaries to neighboring Belarus.
The central topic at the summit should be consultations on further support for Ukraine. When asked about possible security guarantees, Scholz said: “As states, we have committed ourselves to continuing to owe Ukraine something in terms of its security.” Germany and its closest allies are already holding talks with Ukraine./tam/DP/jha