The Chancellor also met civil society representatives during his visit to Moscow, he said. Many people have taken to the streets in Russia, opposing Putin's war. "Democracy grows out of us people," he was told during one of his meetings. Scholz said these people gave him hope that a new eastern policy is possible. -mb

Katrin Rulle

In his speech, Scholz warns against Germany becoming hostile towards Russia again, stressing that we must avoid the mistake of equating Russia with Putin. "It was not the Russian people who made the fatal decision to invade Ukraine. This war is Putin's war," Scholz said. "This distinction is important." -mb

Katrin Rulle