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UKRAINE

Putin ‘will not reach his imperialist goals’ says Germany’s Olaf Scholz

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Friday that Russian President Vladimir Putin will not reach his aims in Ukraine, a year after Moscow's troops invaded the country.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz walks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv on Thursday.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz walks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Kay Nietfeld

“The earlier the Russian president realises that he will not reach his imperialistic goal, the bigger the chance that the war will end soon. Putin has it in his hands. He can end this war,” said Scholz.

The Chancellor spoke in a video message Friday marking one year since Russia began its invasion of Ukraine.

“Germany remains firmly on the side of Ukraine, now and in the future,” he said, pointing out the country’s €14 billion given to Ukraine in financial, military, and humanitarian support.

Scholz went on to say that a look back at the past year demonstrates that Putin’s gamble on western division backfired. “The opposite has happened. Ukraine is more united than ever. The European Union stands together.”

Scholz also thanked Germans for helping and taking in more than a million refugees and that he understood German fears of an escalating conflict.

He pledged to do everything necessary to avoid it, while saying Germany remained on the side of Ukraine for “as long as necessary.”

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POLITICS

Yulia Navalnaya votes at Russian embassy in Berlin

Yulia Navalnaya, the widow of the late opposition leader Alexei Navalny, was queuing to cast her ballot at the Russian embassy in Berlin on Sunday, an AFP journalist witnessed.

Yulia Navalnaya votes at Russian embassy in Berlin

Yulia Navalnaya, the widow of the late opposition leader Alexei Navalny, was queueing to cast her ballot at the Russian embassy in Berlin on Sunday, an AFP journalist witnessed.

Wearing a black jacket, Navalnaya received flowers from supporters and chatted with fellow voters in the long queue outside the embassy in the German capital.

Navalnaya had called on Russians to stage an election day protest against President Vladimir Putin by forming long queues outside voting stations.

‘Among voters who joined the snaking line in Berlin was Maria Katkova, 33, who told AFP that she was there “because I don’t want my vote to be stolen”.

“I want to be together with all these people here and feel like I’m not alone,” said Katkova, who had been in the queue for two hours.

Stanislav Vliasov, 33, a risk manager, said that he had come to vote because “it’s a good possibility to show a picture to all people around the world, to people in Russia… that people are against this situation… against the politics in Russia.

“People know there is a lot to do after today, the world has a lot to do to fight Putin’s regime,” he added.

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