Enlarge image
Chancellor Olaf Scholz in the Bundestag
Photo: Markus Schreiber / AP
Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) has accused the Russian military of committing war crimes in the Ukrainian city of Bucha.
Russian soldiers "carried out a massacre of Ukrainian civilians there, including children, women and old people," said Scholz during a government survey in the Bundestag.
"The murder of civilians is a war crime." The "horrific images" from Bucha "shook us all deeply," said Scholz.
It is likely that more such images will be seen.
He sharply rejected claims by the Russian leadership that the relevant recordings were fake.
"The cynical assertion spread by Russia that this topic is a staging falls back on those who spread these lies." The perpetrators and their clients "must be held accountable," Scholz demanded.
Further arms deliveries announced
The Chancellor announced further arms deliveries to Ukraine.
"It must be our goal that Russia does not win this war," said Scholz.
In coordination with the EU and NATO partners, the pressure on Russia will be increased.
President Vladimir Putin "miscalculated several times," said Scholz.
For example, the invaders did not expect the strong resistance of the Ukrainians, which pushed them back.
Putin also misjudged the unity of the European partners.
Scholz called for the consequences of the sanction decisions to be dealt with in solidarity.
He called on the federal states not to get caught up in a dispute about financing when taking in refugees from Ukraine: "I wish that we wouldn't have an endlessly long discussion about financial issues between the different levels of our country, but that we come to an agreement quickly and quickly between the federal government and the states".
Before the government survey, Bundestag President Bärbel Bas (SPD) had already condemned the events in Butscha.
"Incomprehensible atrocities" were committed there, she said at the beginning of the Bundestag session.
In many places in Ukraine, cities are under siege, "evacuation and humanitarian aid are blocked, and the supply of food, water and electricity is being systematically cut."
fek/AFP