BERLIN, March 23 — Europe will end its energy dependence on Russia but to do so from one day to the next would plunge it into a recession, risking hundreds of thousands of jobs and entire industrial sectors, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said today.
“Yes, we will end this dependency — as soon as possible. But to do this from one day to the next would mean plunging our country and the whole of Europe into a recession,” Scholz told the Bundestag lower house of parliament. The chancellor assured Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who addressed the Bundestag last week, of Germany’s support for his country and said sanctions were hurting Russia. He called for an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine.
“ Putin needs to hear the truth about the war in Ukraine. And that truth is: the war is destroying Ukraine. But with the war, Putin is also destroying Russia’s future,” Scholz told the lawmakers.