In particular, Scholz said he was now “firmly convinced that Putin had planned his attack two years earlier” and “there was very little that could have stopped him from doing it.”
According to the former German Chancellor, Putin could implement his key demands without the use of military force, in particular, Ukraine’s refusal to join NATO or the non-deployment of long-range missiles on Ukrainian territory.
As Scholz pointed out, “all this could have been achieved without war.” And “this means that he wanted war,” the German politician added.
The book “Das Versagen” analyzes the mistakes and miscalculations of German policy towards Russia over the past decades, including ignoring warnings about Putin's aggressive intentions and attempts to maintain cooperation with the Russian Federation, Welt noted.
Context
Scholz headed the German government from December 2021 until May 2025.
Earlier, in December 2024, he said that Putin was defeated in Ukraine “on all counts.” He wanted to “subjugate all of Ukraine and establish a puppet regime,” as well as “prevent further rapprochement with the EU and weaken the entire NATO,” but as a result, two new members appeared in the Alliance – Sweden and Finland, Scholz said.
In his opinion, the victory of Russia or the collapse of Ukraine will not bring peace.
