German Chancellor Says Many Believed The World Went Through Countries Trying To Conquer Their Neighbors But That The Deal Has Now Been Canceled By Putin

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Putin had shattered many people’s views of the modern world. He said Putin is like the imperialists of the past who thought “you can just take over your neighbors’ territory”. Russia’s war in Ukraine changed the landscape in Europe, with Finland and Sweden joining NATO.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said the idea that the world had moved beyond countries invading their neighbors had been dispelled by Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine. Soltz was speaking during an interview on CBS’ “Face the Nation” that aired Sunday when host Margaret Brennan asked if the war represented a 9/11-level wake-up call for Europe. “I think too many people in the world hoped that we live in a different world that is different from the experiences of the last century and the centuries before, where power and strength decided the future of countries and not the rules and agreements that we have between states,” he began. “We had an agreement that there should be no attempt to change territory, change borders, invade the neighbor. And that agreement has now been canceled by Putin,” Soltz said, adding that it was a “moment of international politics.” When Brennan pressed him on whether or not he thought Europe and Germany were too complacent, he said they should have been prepared for that eventuality. “What is Putin thinking? He is thinking like the imperialists of the 17th, 18th, 19th centuries,” Scholz said. “It thinks that everything about the nation is power, and that if you’re strong enough, you can just take over your neighbors’ territory. And that’s an activity and an idea that we cannot and will not accept.” He said he believes all Western leaders can do to deter Putin is to convince him it doesn’t work and won’t succeed. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine reverberated across Europe. For example, Scholz said Germany has changed its approach to international relations, including its strategy of never sending weapons to a country in conflict. The country handed over heavy weapons to Ukraine last month after criticism that it was withholding aid. Finland and Sweden are also poised to join NATO after Putin’s invasion led the two countries to seek membership in the alliance. Read the original article on Business Insider