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BERLIN, June 20 (Reuters) – Russian President Vladimir Putin fears the “spark of democracy” spreading to his nation, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz mentioned, including that he was making an attempt to divide Europe and return to a world dominated by spheres of affect.
Scholz was responding to a query in an interview with the Muenchner Merkur newspaper, printed on the federal government web site on Monday, on whether or not Putin would settle for Ukraine transferring nearer to the European Union.
“The Russian President should settle for that there’s a group of law-based democracies in his neighbourhood that’s rising ever nearer collectively,” he mentioned. “He clearly fears the spark of democracy spreading to his nation.”
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The Russian International Ministry’s spokesperson Maria Zakharova rejected the feedback, writing on social media: “German sparks have unfold onto us a few instances. We won’t permit any extra fires.”
The European Fee final week advisable that Ukraine, which has been battling a Russian invasion since February, be given the standing of candidate to hitch the European Union, a transfer Scholz mentioned he additionally backed.
Scholz warned that hovering vitality costs would seemingly be round for a very long time, and rejected Russia’s assertion that it had reduce fuel flows as a result of mandatory spare elements have been lacking on account of sanctions.
“This rationalization is just not believable,” he mentioned.
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Reporting by Thomas Escritt; Enhancing by Sarah Marsh and Philippa Fletcher
Our Requirements: The Thomson Reuters Belief Rules.
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