THE chancellor Olaf Solz rejected it again possibility of peace in Ukraine without her withdrawal of Russian troopswhile he estimated that the war it will take a long time and gave insight into his phone conversations with the Russian president Vladimir Putin. The federal president Frank-Walter Steinmeier for his part he asked for equipment of the German armed forces with an eye also on the security of his entire region NATO.

“Investing in our own security does not just mean expanding the (defense) budget, but above all it means making a greater effort to contribute to the security of the NATO area as a whole (…) Being on the ground protects you from being directly involved in war “, said Mr. Steinmeier in the context of the visit of his Czech counterpart Petr Pavel. “With its attack on Ukraine, Russia destroyed the peaceful order in Europe,” the German president added, while Mr. Pavel, a former NATO general, said “Germany could show its leadership skills in many areas – in the common European defense, but also in the post-war reconstruction of Ukraine».

Olaf Solz, speaking at a “Rheinische Post” event, again rejected the possibility of peace in Ukraine without the withdrawal of Russian forces. “We cannot end up with a Russian-dictated peace.” stressed the chancellor and expressed the assessment that the war will not end soon. “We have to be prepared for the possibility that it will take a long time“, stated Mr. Soltz, emphasizing that “the russian president must not win the war. Ukraine must be able to defend its integrity and independence“, he added. Referring to the phone conversations he had with Vladimir Putin in recent months, the chancellor explained that sometimes they lasted up to an hour and a half, while sometimes the Russian president does not use an interpreter because he also speaks German – “when it suits” in the occasion. Mr. Scholz further explained that his talks with Mr. Putin are always in consultation with Germany’s allies and it is made clear when a communication is imminent. “It’s not like sending an SMS and asking: see you again?”, the chancellor characteristically said and clarified that despite the differences, the discussions are always conducted in an atmosphere of courtesy.

Analyzing the situation in relation to the war in Ukraine, the head of the Munich Security Conference, Christoph Heusgen, told private broadcaster n-tv earlier today that the situation of the Russian military is “very bad” and pointed out that the Russians “they have failed to move the front further into Ukraine and occupy a position – not necessarily of strategic importance, after months of fighting in Bakhmut». In addition, Mr. Huisgen said, the Russian armed forces are facing a serious problem of ammunition supply, while too often, he said, “the regular Russian army and Prigozhin’s mercenaries, the Wagner troops, fight against each other». Referring to Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Moscow, the veteran German diplomat noted that the two leaders are essentially dependent on each other, but the relationship between the two countries has now been reversed: “Putin is now nothing more than Xi’s waiter and Russia is China’s discount gas station“, he characteristically said.