German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has slammed Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday, accusing him of launching a crusade against the West and the rules-based international order.
"This war is not only about Ukraine. (Putin and his enablers) consider the war against Ukraine to be part of a larger crusade," Scholz said in a video message for the Progressive Governance Summit.
"A crusade against liberal democracy. A crusade against the rules-based international order. A crusade against freedom and progress," the Social Democrat politician said.
"A crusade against our way of life. And a crusade against what Putin calls the collective West. He means all of us," Scholz added.
His comments came days after Russia launched a wave of missile strikes across Ukraine this week, following a blast which damaged a strategic bridge linking Russia and Crimea.
