Putin can't dictate peace in war he 'won't win': Scholz
Russian President Vladimir Putin will not be allowed to dictate peace in a war that he "will not win" in Ukraine, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Thursday.
Putin has "already failed in all his strategic aims", the German leader told the World Economic Forum in Davos.
Russia's plan to capture all of Ukraine is "further away today than it was at the beginning" of its invasion on February 24 as Ukraine put up an impressive defence.
Putin "underestimated" the "resolve and strength" of allies in countering his aggression in Ukraine, said Scholz, noting that Moscow has also now pushed Finland and Sweden to join the NATO defence alliance.
"Our goal is crystal clear -- Putin must not win this war. And I am convinced that he will not win it," said the German chancellor.
Scholz, who has spoken several times with the Russian leader on the phone since Moscow's invasion, said "Putin will only seriously negotiate peace when he realises that he cannot break Ukraine's defences."
