Scholz sees "desperate act" by Putin: Russia now relies on "scorched earth tactics"

Created: 2022-10-20Updated: 2022-10-20 17:52

By: Florian Naumann

Olaf Scholz explains his energy policy in the Bundestag.

He accuses Russia's ruler Putin of "scorched earth tactics" in Ukraine.

The news ticker.

• Scholz

  sees Germany "liberated" from

  Putin's dependency

  : but energy prices remain "a test"

• Scholz'

  Ukraine government statement

  : Chancellor names conditions for "just peace"

• A

  government declaration

  is followed by a trip to the

  EU summit

  : There is a risk of disputes over price caps, gas purchases and debts among EU colleagues.

• This

  news ticker

  will be updated regularly on Thursday (October 20th).

Update from October 20, 5:30 p.m .:

Vladimir Putin’s troops are getting into more and more trouble in Ukraine.

Russia is struggling to hold its ground, but the Ukrainian counter-offensive is successful.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) has now accused Russia of using a “scorched earth tactic”.

But even then Moscow will not win the war, he said in a government statement in the Bundestag on Thursday.

“It only strengthens the resolve and perseverance of Ukraine and its partners.

In the end, Russia's bomb and rocket terror is an act of desperation - just like the mobilization of Russian men for the war," Scholz continued.

Putin is covering Ukraine with terror and blatantly and irresponsibly threatening to use nuclear weapons.

"He wants to sow fear, divide and intimidate," emphasized the Chancellor, adding: "He's speculating on our weakness.

But he's wrong.

We are not weak.” Germany stand together, Europe stand together, emphasized Scholz.

“Our global alliances are stronger and more alive than ever.

Putin will not achieve his war goals.”

Scholz government statement: AfD and left criticize — “self-ignited economic war”

Update from October 20, 11:18 a.m .:

The two smaller opposition parties, AfD and Linke, also criticized the debate on Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s government statement in the Bundestag.

AfD boss Tino Chrupalla accused the federal government of a completely misguided energy policy and insufficient relief.

Germany is in a "self-ignited economic war," Chrupalla claimed - and once again spoke out in favor of a rapprochement course with the aggressor Russia.

Left faction leader Amira Mohamed Ali complained that the traffic light coalition was neglecting the needs of the population.

Mohamed Ali criticized that it is currently more about the sensitivities of the ministers than about the interests of the people in the country.

The relief in view of the high prices would come too late, in the federal government there was "chaos and botch" with "relief packages" and when it came to the debt brake.

FDP colleague Christian Dürr underlined – unsurprisingly – Scholz's statements.

“Russia is showing that it is going for blunt destruction.

Terrorizing the people of Ukraine is Putin's strategic goal," he said.

30 percent of the power grid has been destroyed and there are now more than 1,000 places without electricity.

Despite the terrible pictures, it is already necessary today to talk about the reconstruction of the attacked country.

Dürr: "We have to talk about a European Marshall Plan for Ukraine."

also read

Putin withdraws units from Syria – now Israel is reacting 

Lavrov's spokeswoman warns the West: "Dangerous direct conflict" with Russia is approaching

Update from October 20, 10:22 a.m .:

Green parliamentary group leader Britta Haßelmann counters Merz’s allegations with allegations to the Union: They take too little responsibility in the crisis and use populism instead.

"Where are you actually in this situation?" Hasselmann asked the leader of the opposition.

"Where is your responsibility in the biggest crisis in this country and the biggest crisis in Europe, not to hide in fundamental opposition, but to take responsibility?"

Scholz government statement: Merz rips off traffic light energy aid – “most disputed, least achieved”

Update from October 20, 9:42 a.m .:

The first reply comes from CDU leader and opposition leader Friedrich Merz;

he, too, sees the EU in a historic "test".

Merz wishes Scholz "every possible success" for the EU summit.

However, the leader of the Union faction is doubly critical: "We would have thought it right if Ukraine had also been supported with Western-style battle tanks and infantry fighting vehicles, coordinated with the European Union," says Merz.

"This war might have ended sooner."

From Scholz's government statement, companies and households could "hardly gather anything concrete" as to when they would be helped with energy prices.

In Europe, Germany has “fought the most and achieved the least” in terms of relief in the crisis.

Merz also expressed a lack of understanding for long-term energy policy: Rhetorically, he asked why Scholz held on to Nord Stream 2 for a long time and even declared it a “private-sector project”.

Scholz government statement: "Putin's war course will fail"

Update from October 20, 9:38 a.m .:

Putin underestimates the power and strength of democracies “dramatically”, Scholz concludes his 30-minute speech.

"That's why I'm more certain than ever that Putin's war course against Ukraine and the entire free world will fail, in fact it already has for a long time.

However, Ukraine, Germany and Europe will emerge stronger from these tests, more united and more independent than before.”

Scholz sees Germany "liberated" from Putin's dependency

Update from October 20, 9:25 a.m .:

Scholz sees Germany’s “special” dependency on Russian gas as over, according to its own statements: “We have freed ourselves from dependence and are at the same time well prepared for the coming winter”.

The high energy prices are also a "test".

You "have to go down," emphasizes Scholz.

He is grateful to the EU Commission for their work on a gas purchasing community.

The best way is the expansion of renewable energies.

In order to compensate for the loss of Russian supplies, one must also negotiate with countries in which new gas fields can be developed.

As expected, Scholz expressed his negative view of a gas price cap – this entailed the risk that suppliers would supply other customers.

In any case, partners like the USA also have an interest in gas not becoming unaffordable in Europe.

"No one should be afraid of being overwhelmed by the prices for electricity, gas or district heating," says Scholz, referring to the expert commission's proposals.

The “defense screen” was deliberately designed to last two and a half years.

The EU has enough funds to counteract the problems, Scholz continues - from the "resilience facility" of the Corona crisis, for example, there are still large funds available.

A small rejection by the Chancellor of new EU debt plans.

Olaf Scholz during his government statement in the Bundestag.

© Kay Nietfeld/dpa

Update from October 20, 9:18 a.m .:

Russia’s war has consequences worldwide, for example with problems with the supply of food and fertilizers, says Scholz.

"Putin not only accepts this, Putin uses hunger as a weapon." Germany must take concerns seriously in order to be able to rely on support in the future.

With aid pledges from the G7, however, there is "at least a chance" of averting a hunger crisis.

The chancellor now also talks about energy policy: "This Russia under Putin is no longer a reliable trading partner," he emphasizes.

"Putin hoped to be able to blackmail us by turning off the gas tap, but he miscalculated even with that," adds Scholz.

Countermeasures have been taken with new LNG terminals, deliveries from partner countries such as France and Norway and new contracts.

Scholz also refers to the coal-fired power plants that have been put back on the grid and the extension of the service life for the three remaining nuclear power plants.

"All of this strengthens Germany and Europe's energy security," said the Chancellor.

"Every kilowatt hour that we save strengthens our energy security."

Scholz' Ukraine government statement: Chancellor names conditions for "just peace"

Update from October 20, 9:12 a.m .:

“All the lies and propaganda, talk of a special operation” are just a “Potemkin village,” Scholz continues.

Germany will support Ukraine for as long as necessary.

Putin's referendums on annexation were a farce, emphasizes the chancellor, "their results are null and void."

Scholz describes his definition of a possible "just peace" in the Ukraine war: "Just means that it is not a question of a dictated peace, but that the sovereignty, territorial integrity and also the defense capability of Ukraine are guaranteed, today and in the future .” But it is also important to make plans now for reconstruction aid.

At an international expert conference in Berlin, an "international Marshall Plan for Ukraine" should be worked on.

Update from October 20, 9.10 a.m .:

Olaf Scholz has started his government statement.

"Germany and Europe are going through tests that we haven't seen in decades," said the Chancellor.

Vladimir Putin "forced" them with his war of aggression.

"He speculates on our weakness, but he's wrong: we're not weak," adds Scholz.

Putin will not achieve his war goals.

Scholz defends German arms deliveries to Ukraine.

"Artillery and anti-aircraft defenses are what Ukraine needs," and that's exactly what Germany is providing.

As one of the first countries, the Federal Republic had promised modern air defense systems and is now also delivering them.

This support is "essential for survival".

Scholz holds the government statement - and then has to go to the summit with angry EU partners

Preliminary report:

Berlin/Munich – Olaf Scholz has cleared the nuclear issue for the time being.

Nevertheless, the SPD chancellor is stuck in an explosive energy policy marathon: On Thursday (October 20), the chancellor will first hold a government statement in the Bundestag.

Later he travels to the EU summit.

The subject of the speech to the MPs in Berlin is the meeting with the heads of state and government in Brussels.

And they in turn want to talk about a solution to the energy crisis.

Among other things, about a possible gas price cap.

A step that Olaf Scholz wants to prevent - although a majority of EU countries have spoken out in favor of it.

Scholz government statement before the EU summit: double trouble in Brussels?

The federal government points to possible problems with the supply of gas because sellers could then deliver the raw material to other countries that pay more.

But the situation is quite complex.

Recently, voices had been raised warning that Germany had bought gas supplies from other countries with its financial strength.

Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has also presented a legislative proposal for joint gas purchases.

The aim is for companies in the EU countries to bundle their needs and thus lower prices in negotiations with other countries.

Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban has already let it be known what he thinks of the plan.

This is reminiscent of the joint EU purchases of corona vaccine: "slow and expensive".

He expects a big discussion at the summit.

Scholz in the energy crisis: there is a risk of a dispute in the EU – Selenskyj-Switche takes a back seat

The EU states are also divided on the question of how price caps and other relief should be financed.

Germany and the Netherlands, for example, point out that substantial funds are still available in existing pots or are already being mobilized.

To the annoyance of many countries, the federal government wants to launch a national package of up to 200 billion euros by 2024 - the much-cited "double boom".

As in the Corona crisis, countries like Italy want to take on debt at European level.

Such a program could be based on the EU short-time work program Sure.

The EU Commission takes out loans on the financial market with the help of guarantees from the EU states and passes them on.

This is favorable for countries that would have to pay more interest on the financial market themselves.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj is also connected on Thursday – but given the energy dispute, his appearance could almost be a minor matter.

Even after Scholz's departure for Brussels, the Bundestag will continue to work on relief.

The energy price flat rate for pensioners (12.35 p.m.) and the second heating cost subsidy for needy households (5.20 p.m.) will be voted on.

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