Putin able to continue war for 'long time,' says Scholz

Russian President Vladimir Putin's decision to invade neighbouring Ukraine has been made well in advance, according to German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

"I think the decision to - to do this war was taken one year before it started or possibly earlier, because he [Putin] prepared for it," the German leader said in an interview with US broadcaster CBS published in its entirety on Sunday. "And so he will be able to continue with the war really a long time," Scholz added.

Scholz also admitted that it had been a mistake by European countries to become so dependent on Russian energy. "We should have invested all over Europe in infrastructure that gives us the ability to change the supply, from one day to the other," he said. "This is the lesson that has been learned in Europe and in many other places that you have to be prepared - be prepared for a situation like this."

Asked about how much Germany was still spending on Russian energy imports, Scholz merely said the sum was decreasing.