BERLIN

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz promised on Tuesday that his party, the Social Democrats (SPD), will strongly support Ukraine’s freedom and its efforts to become a member of the EU.


“We will support the Ukrainian nation, their struggle to defend their freedom, with all our might,” Scholz told a party conference in Berlin, marking the 160th birthday of the center-left SPD.


Scholz accused Russia of waging an “imperialist war” against Ukraine and argued that the war is also an “attack on values and principles” defended by Social Democrats for decades.


“Russia should not win this war, and it will not win this war,” he stressed, and reaffirmed that Germany will continue delivering weapons to Ukraine to defend its territory, “as long as it takes.”


“This bitter chapter in the history of our continent, created by (Russian President) Vladimir Putin’s imperialist delusions, will come to an end with free Ukraine joining the European Union as a full member,” Scholz said.