Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Wednesday ruled out sending German troops to Ukraine and emphasized that his government will refrain from actions that could trigger a conflict between NATO and Russia.
"It is out of the question for us to send troops, or German soldiers to Ukraine in the current situation," Scholz told lawmakers. "I have always made that clear, and that remains the case."
The chancellor's remarks came during a parliamentary question-and-answer session and aimed at clarifying Berlin's position after Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock's recent comments led to media speculation.
Scholz explained that Baerbock's earlier remarks about a potential peacekeeping role in Ukraine, where the Russian war started in February 2022, had been apparently misinterpreted by some media outlets.
"She was asked what could happen in a (future) peace phase, and actually she tried to answer this without saying yes or no. Because it's quite inappropriate to speculate now about what would happen later in the event of a negotiated cease-fire," Scholz said.
The German leader emphasized that his government's policy remains unchanged, focusing on supporting Ukraine while avoiding any direct military confrontation between NATO and Russia.
"We are in agreement with the minister of defense and the foreign minister that we must do everything to ensure that this war does not become a war between Russia and NATO. And that is why sending ground troops is out of the question for me in this war situation," he stressed.
