German Chancellor Olaf Scholz attends ARD Sommer’s interview with TV journalist Tina Hassel (not pictured) in Berlin, Germany, July 3, 2022. REUTERS/Christian Mang
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- Scholz pushes back against criticism of leadership, communication
- ‘Very worried’ about inflation, but no new aid package yet
- Scholz turns off the default speed limit on highways
BERLIN, July 3 (Reuters) – Germany is discussing security guarantees for Ukraine with its allies in preparation for a time after the war, but they will not be the same as for a member of the transatlantic alliance, German Chancellor Scholz told broadcaster ARD on Sunday.
“We are discussing with close friends the issue of security guarantees that we can give. This is an ongoing process. It is clear that it will not be the same as if someone is a member of NATO,” Scholz said. Read more
Scholz, who took office in December, has faced accusations at home and abroad that he has failed to show leadership in the Ukraine crisis and failed to empathize with citizens struggling with the soaring inflation it has fueled.
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But the Social Democrat chancellor, whose mechanical communication style has earned him the nickname “Scholzomat”, said he did not want to be one of the “politicians who every week make promises but then fail to keep 90% of them”.
“Especially in such difficult times, it is not a time for people who constantly say something, but for people who take care to make basic decisions,” he said.
Scholz said he was “very worried” about the impact of rising energy inflation, but that the government needed to assess the impact of its latest multibillion-euro aid package before considering a new one.
“Next year will be the biggest challenge,” he said. “For this year, almost everyone who has done the math says we will offset about 90% of the price increases for lower- and middle-income households through the measures already in place.”
Asked if he felt the effects of inflation in his own life, he said he was grocery shopping “just yesterday” and was able to name the correct prices for a range of different items.
Scholz countered suggestions that he had been overly cautious, pointing to his government’s record minimum wage increase and his radical shift in defense policy: breaking with decades of refusing to send weapons into a conflict zone and creating 100 billion euro ($104 billion) army modernization fund.
Asked whether his three-party coalition government with the Greens and Lib Dems would introduce a standard speed limit on motorways to reduce energy use, Scholz referred to their coalition pact which ruled it out.
On COVID-19, he said Germany would not close schools and non-essential businesses again if infection rates rose significantly this year, but that face masks would play a bigger role. Read more
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Reporting by Sarah Marsh and Ludwig Berger; Written by Maria Sheahan; Editing by Kevin Liffey
Our standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
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