Germany’s Scholz: I repeat my appeal to Putin to stop war in Ukraine

BERLIN (AA) - German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Monday renewed his call for Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the war in Ukraine.

Speaking at a joint news conference in Berlin with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Scholz expressed deep concern over repeated attacks by the Russian military and rising number of civilian deaths and injuries in the country.

“The war and the brutal attacks against the civilian population in Ukraine shows us how unrestrained Russia has been in violating the fundamental principles of the UN Charter,” he stressed.

“I would like to repeat my appeal to the Russian president: Stop this war, end these senseless killings, withdraw your troops from Ukraine,” he said.

Scholz said during his meeting with the Modi, they discussed the latest developments on Ukraine, and the war’s impact on the international order.

“We agree on the fact that borders should not be changed through the use of violence, and the inviolability of borders, the integrity and sovereignty of nations should never be questioned,” he stressed.

For his part, Modi said recent geopolitical events have shown how fragile peace in the world is.

“At the beginning of the crisis in Ukraine, we immediately called for a cease-fire and emphasized the fact that dialogue was the only way to resolve the conflict,” he said.

“We believe that no party can emerge victorious in this war, everyone will suffer losses, and that is why we are for peace,” he added.

Modi also warned that skyrocketing oil prices, and shortages of food and fertilizer in the world, would have devastating consequences.

“This has caused a burden for every family in the world. However, it will have the most serious impact on developing and poor countries,” he said.

Since Russia's war on Ukraine began on Feb. 24, at least 3,153 civilians have been killed, and 3,316 injured, according to UN estimates. The true toll is feared to be much higher.

More than 5.4 million Ukrainians have also fled to other countries, with millions more internally displaced.