German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Saturday rejected Ukraine’s president’s call to sanction Russia now, saying Moscow should not be sure “exactly” how the West would react to an invasion potential strategy.
Speaking to CNBC’s Hadley Gamble at Germany’s annual Munich Security Conference, Scholz said that Western allies were “well prepared” to punish Russia – and quickly – if it invaded Ukraine. However, he said such measures should still be a last resort in the hope of finding a peaceful resolution to the ongoing tensions.
“Better to say we do it later, rather than do it now, because we want to avoid this situation,” he said, referring to the imposition of potential sanctions on the country. with Russia. “We want to go in the direction where there is a chance for peace.”
Russia has repeatedly denied that it is planning an invasion of Ukraine, but multiple Western officials this week said the country is actively building up its military presence on its borders.
Scholz would not clarify what sanctions Russia might face if it invades Ukraine. Instead, he said Moscow must know “approximately” rather than “exactly” the consequences it will face.
The Russian government cannot be sure exactly what we will do.
Olaf Scholz
German Chancellor
This is in contrast to other Western leaders, who have made specific remarks about How could Russia be harmed economically?most notably through energy sanctions.
“My view is that it doesn’t make any sense to make them public. It’s good for what we expect that the Russian government can’t be sure exactly what we’re going to do,” he said.
“They’ll know roughly what we’re talking about, but they won’t know exactly.”
His comments came after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday reiterated his current call for sanctions, saying the West should stop its “appeasement” policy towards Russia.
“We have the right – the right to demand a shift from a policy of appeasement to a policy of ensuring security and peace,” Zelensky said at the Munich Security Conference.
“There is no such thing as ‘this is not my war’ in the 21st century. This is not a war in Ukraine, this is a war in Europe.”
Russia launches cruise and ballistic missiles
In a show of its military might, Russia on Saturday launch cruise and ballistic missiles as part of a “planned exercise of strategic deterrence forces.”
President Joe Biden said on Friday that the United States believes Russian President Vladimir Putin can carry out an attack on Ukraine. “in the coming days.”
“We have reason to believe that Russian forces are planning and intending to attack Ukraine in the next week, in the coming days,” Biden said Friday at the White House, noting that any Any such attack could target the Ukrainian capital Kyiv.
Service members of the Ukraine Airborne Strike Force participate in tactical maneuvers at a training ground at an undisclosed location in Ukraine, in this February 18, 2022 release photo.
Press service of the Airborne Strike Force of Ukraine | via Reuters
It comes after US intelligence agencies said Moscow had sent about 7,000 more troops to Ukraine’s border this week, bringing the country’s estimated total military presence to about 150,000. Russian forces have also been stationed in Belarus, an ally located north of Ukraine.
Earlier this week, the Russian government announced that it had begun bringing some troops back to their bases. However, the Ukrainian president and Western officials urged caution against disregarding Moscow’s claims.
Ukraine and its Western allies have warned that Russia could create a “false flag” event – in which it will launch a real or simulated attack on its own forces – to create an excuse to invade. Ukraine strategy.
– CNBC’s Natasha Turak contributed to this report.
