German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Sunday warned Russia of immediate sanctions and 'hard reactions' if it attacks Ukraine, maintaining a tough tone ahead of a meeting this week with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz looks on as the Federal Assembly gathers to elect the new German state president, at the Bundestag building Paul Loebe Haus in Berlin, Germany February 13, 2022. REUTERS/Michele Tantussi/PoolBERLIN, Feb 13 - German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Sunday warned Russia of immediate sanctions and "hard reactions" if it attacks Ukraine, maintaining a tough tone ahead of a meeting this week with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Both trips will be to sound out how to secure peace, which faces a "very, very serious threat," Scholz said, calling on Russia to de-escalate."Military agreession against Ukraine that endangers its territorial integrity and sovereignty will result in hard reactions and sanctions that we have carefully prepared and that we can put into effect immediately, together with our allies in Europe and NATO," Scholz said in brief remarks to reporters.
Scholz would tell Putin the troop build-up could "only be interpreted as a threat", the source told a briefing with journalists, adding: "I do not expect concrete results but these direct talks are important." A moratorium on any Ukrainian accession to NATO was not part of Scholz's "tool kit", the source said, adding that "what happens on the ground" would determine whether Russia was de-escalating.
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