Scholz says Europe won’t allow anyone to agree on Ukraine's demilitarization

The European Union must take part in the negotiations on the settlement of the Ukrainian conflict and make sure that nobody agrees to Ukraine's demilitarization, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said,reported from TASS.

Scholz rejected the possibility of exclusive US-Russian agreements on Ukraine. "We Europeans will not allow that. Nor will we allow anyone to agree on the demilitarization of Ukraine," he said during an election debate. At the same time, the German chancellor reiterated that Ukraine needs a strong army.

"It cannot be done without us. Of course, we have something to say," Scholz said, reacting to the US statement that Europe would not be physically present at the table to negotiate a settlement to the conflict. At the same time, Scholz emphasized that Europeans have the right to vote. Security guarantees without Europe's participation "will not happen," he said.

Earlier, US President Donald Trump's special envoy for Ukraine and Russia Keith Kellogg said that Europe would not be physically present at the negotiating table. According to him, there is now a two-track approach to the peace talks: US representatives interacting separately with Russia and separately with Ukraine along with allies. At the same time, Kellogg made it clear that Europe's interests would be taken into account.