German Chancellor Olaf Scholz reaffirmed the need for sustained European support to Ukraine, underlining that no peace agreement imposed on the nation could be accepted by it.
"Ukraine should trust us. It is evident that we need to continue to support Ukraine," Scholz said on Monday, after attending an emergency meeting convened by French President Emmanuel Macron, before the Russian-US talks in Riyadh on Tuesday.
He went further on to state, "No peace dictate can be imposed on Ukraine… Ukraine cannot accept whatever is presented to it under any circumstances."
Scholz demanded a joint response to collective security, asking Europe and the United States to act together. "There should be no divorce of security and responsibility between Europe and the US," he said. "NATO is founded on the basis that we always act together and share the risks… This must not change."
Refuting rumors of European countries sending ground forces to Ukraine for a "peacekeeping" operation, Scholz ruled out the possibility as "completely premature." Nevertheless, he confirmed that European nations were committed to spending at least 2% of their GDP on enhancing Europe's defense strength.
"If European countries spend more, Germany is ready to ensure that this spending is not counted in European budget deficits," he added.
The Monday meeting brought together NATO and European Commission leaders, as well as European representatives from France, Germany, Britain, Poland, Spain, Italy, Denmark, and the Netherlands. The aim was to coordinate European reactions ahead of the talks with Russia-US, inviting neither Brussels nor Kiev to the meeting.
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