Scholz Proposes New EU ‘Ostpolitik’ to Ease Tensions With Russia
- Scholz repeats warning to Kremlin, but says open for dialog
- New German chancellor makes inaugural address to Bundestag
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German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Europe must be united in seeking dialog with Russia as part of a new “Ostpolitik,” while reiterating that any violation of Ukraine’s borders will carry a heavy price for the Kremlin.
In an 85-minute address to parliament, his first after being sworn in a week ago, Germany’s new Social Democratic leader invoked the Cold War-era foreign policy of his predecessor Willy Brandt, who in the 1970s sought to ease tensions with East Germany and the Soviet Union through engagement. A new version of the policy must be a European Union initiative, rather than one directed from Berlin, he said.