Germany will never support ceasefire that entails Ukraine's surrender – Scholz

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has stated that Berlin will not support a ceasefire that would entail Ukraine's surrender.

As reported by ntv, during question time in the Bundestag, MPs mentioned Ukraine. Asked by Gesine Lötzsch, a Left Party lawmaker, when a ceasefire might be agreed upon, the chancellor lambasted Russian leader Vladimir Putin's "peace proposal".

"In my opinion, we on the German side should never support a ceasefire aimed at the surrender of Ukraine," Scholz said.

Scholz described Putin's proposal as strange. The Kremlin leader has said he would be ready to agree to a ceasefire "if Ukraine also agrees to further annexations".

According to Scholz, this shows "how cynically they think, and that the Russian leader has no intention of ending his war of aggression. Putin only talks about peace negotiations in order to continue the war. We will not allow this," Scholz said.

Lötzsch also asked whether Scholz could "guarantee" that Germany would not become a party to the war. He answered in the affirmative: "Yes, I guarantee that. That's what I stand for as chancellor."

On 14 June, Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin came up with new "conditions for the start of peace talks": Ukrainian forces must withdraw from the territory of the four Ukrainian oblasts that are partially occupied by Russia, and Kyiv must declare that it has no plans to join NATO.

Ukraine's Foreign Ministry said the aim of Putin’s so-called ultimatum on "peace talks" was to disrupt the Global Peace Summit in Switzerland.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy compared Putin’s ultimatum to the actions of Nazi Germany.