Scholz: West does not aim to change regime in Russia

Olaf Scholz, the German Chancellor, said this on Thursday in Brussels before the meeting of EU leaders, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

According to Scholz, after discussing the situation in Russia last weekend with U.S. President Joe Biden and French President Francois Macron, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, and the Polish leadership, "one thing is clear: we are not part of what happened in Russia. This is a problem created by Putin himself, and we can only observe. Our goal here is not regime change in Russia. The goal we are pursuing is Ukraine's independence."

He emphasized that the events in Russia are only its internal affairs and have demonstrated, in particular, that the "Wagner" PMC, which received the Kremlin's support, has become a threat to the stability of Russia itself.

The events surrounding the failed coup attempt, the destabilization of the situation in Belarus, and the threats to neighboring states will be one of the topics of the EU summit. According to Scholz, the main topic will be the continuation of comprehensive support for Ukraine. The chancellor noted that the EU needs a strategy to continue joint support for the defense of Ukraine. Based on the fact that such support may be necessary in the long term, the partners are "ready to provide long-term" financial, humanitarian and military assistance, the chancellor added.

Scholz reminded that Germany is the second largest country after the United States in terms of military assistance to Ukraine. In particular, Germany has provided very effective artillery and air defense systems, he said.

As reported, the EU summit will be held on June 29-30.