Germany on Putin's Volgograd statement: Invasion on Ukraine “war of aggression”

Berlin listened carefully to what Russian President Vladimir Putin said in Volgograd while commemorating the anniversary of the Battle of Stalingrad and considered his arguments unjustified.

That’s according to the spokesman for the German Federal Government, Steffen Hebestreit, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

"We took into account the words of President Vladimir Putin of Russia. A number of comparisons were drawn to justify the invasion of Ukraine. ... But it is in no way justified, it is a war of aggression, which is why a number of nations, including Germany, strongly support Ukraine in its struggle. And this is, of course, completely understandable to the Russian president," the spokesman said.

He also said that the chancellor of Germany intends to call Putin again in the coming weeks. "It is important that the chancellor maintain this contact," Hebestreit noted, recalling that the previous such phone call took place in early December.

The head of the German Government, Olaf Scholz, while speaking with the public in Marburg, expressed his belief that Putin had long been planning the "expansion of territory" by force by seizing Ukrainian territories, and such "pretexts" as the threat of NATO eastward expansion were simply used by the Kremlin to try to attain their goals.

As reported, on the eve of Putin's visit to Volgograd, addressing the nations that supply tanks to Ukraine, he publicly threatened that Russia "has something to respond with, and this something goes beyond the use of armored vehicles."

He added that Germany is allegedly being drawn into the war.