Zelenskiy praises Germany’s stance towards Ukraine after call with Scholz

April 10 (Reuters) – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Sunday he had discussed possible additional sanctions against Russia during a call with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and welcomed what he said was a bigger change. favorable in Germany’s position towards kyiv.

“I spoke today with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz about how to bring to justice all those guilty of war crimes. How to strengthen sanctions against Russia and persuade Russia to seek peace “, Zelenskiy said in his nightly video speech, looking relaxed in an armchair.

“I am happy to see that recently Germany’s position is changing in favor of Ukraine. And I see this as absolutely logical because a majority of Germans support this policy. I am grateful to them. And I hope that everything we have agreed will be implemented. This is very important.”

Germany, reluctant at the start of the Russian invasion to supply arms to Ukraine, has now agreed to supply anti-tank weapons and missiles.

Zelenskiy, initially critical of Germany for failing to provide concrete help, particularly in a speech at the Bundestag last month, applauded the steps taken by Berlin.

GAS AND OIL IMPORTS

Scholz said on Friday that Germany could end Russian oil imports this year, but stopping gas imports would be more difficult because the country would need to build infrastructure to import gas from alternative sources. Read more

Russian oil represents 25% of German imports, compared to 35% before the February 24 invasion. Gas imports to Germany from Russia have been reduced by 40% to 55% and coal imports to 25% by 50%.

A statement from Scholz’s office on Sunday on the Chancellor’s call with Zelenskiy did not mention a sanctions discussion, saying Zelenskiy briefed Scholz on “the current situation and the negotiations between Ukraine and Russia.”

Scholz’s office said the Chancellor condemned what he said were war crimes committed by the Russian military in Bucha and other parts of Ukraine during the appeal and that the German government would ensure that the perpetrators are identified and brought before national and international courts.

Moscow has dismissed war crimes allegations from Ukraine and Western countries. He denies targeting civilians in what the Kremlin calls a “special military operation” to demilitarize and “denazify” his neighbor.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Saturday that Russian forces appeared to have committed war crimes by targeting civilians in Ukraine, but the case needed to be investigated by lawyers .

Separately, Zelenskiy’s office said in a statement that the president held a conference call with Ukrainian officials during which kyiv’s proposals for a sixth European Union sanctions package were worked out.

Reporting by Maria Starkova and Ronald Popeski Additional reporting by Natalia Zinets and Victoria Waldersee; Written by Ronald Popeski in Winnipeg; Editing by Sujata Rao, Frances Kerry and Matthew Lewis

Our standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.