Putin fears 'spark of democracy' spreading to Russia amid war, says Germany's Olaf Scholz

Russian President Vladimir Putin fears that a "spark of democracy" is spreading through Russia amid the war in Ukraine, said German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. Speaking to a local German publication Muenchner Merkur newspaper, he warned that Putin was trying to divide Europe and take back the world to the phase divided by influence.

"The Russian President must accept that there is a community of law-based democracies in his neighbourhood that is growing ever closer together...," the German Chancellor said.

"He clearly fears the spark of democracy spreading to his country," he added.

He even warned that surge in energy prices amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war would likely to stay for a long time, and rejected Russia's claims that it had suspended gas flow because necessary spare parts were missing due to sanctions

Scholz pushes EU to add new members

The German Chancellor's comments come after he pushed the European Union (EU) to "modernise" efforts to allow the inclusion of new members. Speaking to the DPA news agency, Scholz said that he has devised plans for pursuing the European Union to "modernise" its decision-making processes. He highlighted that the EU should also work for expanding the bloc.

Scholz asserted that it will not be possible to decide everything by unanimous vote in the future. Notably, granting candidate status to a country in the EU requires unanimous agreement of all the 27 member countries of the bloc. The German Chancellor plans to present his proposals at the EU Summit that is scheduled to begin on June 24. The heads of the 27 member countries will consider the EU membership applications from Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine at the meeting.

Scholz promises to deliver weapons to Ukraine 'on time'

Speaking to the DPA news agency, Scholz further promised that the potential weapons supply to Ukraine will reach "on time." He informed that Berlin had made some changes in its Defence Ministry provisions to prioritise the military delivery to Kyiv over other allies. However, he highlighted that Ukraine will need time to get accustomed to the military equipment, including Howitzer tanks and anti-aircraft missile launchers.

Separately, Scholz stressed the need to discuss the prospects of a ceasefire with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The German Chancellor said it is "absolutely necessary" to discuss the military offensive launched in Ukraine, adding that Putin cannot hope he will "rob land" and everything will go back to normal. Russia launched an "unprovoked" invasion of Ukraine on February 24, days after it unilaterally identified two separatist-held east Ukrainian regions of Donetsk and Luhansk, collectively known as Donbass.

(Image: AP)