Berlin: German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron have vowed to maintain military support for Ukraine, countering Russian President Vladimir Putin’s call for an end to Western assistance to Kyiv. “We both agree that Ukraine can count on us, and that we will not let it down,” Scholz stated at a joint press conference with Macron in Berlin.
According to Qatar News Agency, Scholz proposed that a 30-day pause in attacks on Ukrainian energy targets could serve as an initial step towards achieving a just and lasting peace in Ukraine. He emphasized that the subsequent step should be an immediate and complete ceasefire.
Macron, on his part, underlined the necessity of a “verifiable ceasefire” and stressed the importance of establishing a lasting peace with explicit guarantees. He insisted that such a resolution is unthinkable without the involvement of the Ukrainians in negotiations.
Putin’s comments followed a conversation with US President Donald Trump on Tuesday, during which both leaders agreed to stop mutual attacks on energy infrastructure in their respective countries. However, they did not come to an agreement on a comprehensive ceasefire. A Kremlin statement noted that halting Western military aid to Ukraine is a fundamental condition for de-escalating the conflict and finding a political and diplomatic resolution.