Scholz draws line at German peacekeeping troops in Ukraine

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz faced questions from MPs in the Bundestag on Wednesday, ahead of the confidence vote he has called for on 16 December.

Germany’s leader ruled out sending German troops to Ukraine, despite the foreign minister suggesting that peacekeeping forces could be stationed in a demilitarised zone if a ceasefire were agreed upon.

Scholz suggested it was too early to plan for the end of the war, saying it was “completely inappropriate” to speculate.

Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said on the sidelines of a NATO meeting in Brussels earlier that the German government would be open to the possibility of sending soldiers to Ukraine in the event of a peace deal.

The Chancellor was grilled by German MPs about the shrinking economy, which has continued to deteriorate over the past three years whilst the coalition has been in power, due to repercussions stemming from COVID-19 and Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which arguably have been outside of the government’s control.

Scholz also ruled out firing Vice Chancellor and Economic Minister Robert Habeck, despite the ongoing economic crisis in the country. It comes after he dismissed Finance Minister Christian Lindner just hours after US President Donald Trump was reelected for a second term, an event that marked the end of the progressive coalition government.

Whilst Scholz said he would continue to work on policies over the next few months, it is clear that he’s very much in election campaigning mode already.