Scholz only said that the goal would be achieved very soon and that Germany would stop using Russian coal by summer and Russian oil by the end of the year. The two leaders spoke at a Downing Street press conference after the first extensive bilateral talks since Soltz was elected head of coalition government. Scholz also hinted that Germany would not supply 100 Marder tanks to Ukraine, saying it would only supply weapons that were practical and useful. Ukraine’s request for the tanks has been suspended by the German defense department, leading to tensions between Ukrainians and Germans. Johnson, one of Ukrainian President Vladimir Putin’s closest allies, gave a different tone from Soltz on the value of holding talks with Vladimir Putin after Poland criticized French President Emanuel Macron for with the Russians. leader. “I have to say that negotiating with Putin does not seem to be full of promise or that anyone can trust him,” Johnson said. He said he was “deeply, deeply skeptical and cynical about Putin’s assurances” and that “the Europe we only knew six weeks ago no longer exists”. Solz said the criticism of Macron was unjustified and that it was important for Putin to listen to voices other than those close to him. Throughout the press conference, Scholz was asked to explain why Germany was unwilling to move faster to reduce the scale of Russian energy imports, given the € 35 billion in EU revenue it has created for Russia since the beginning of the war. He insisted that it would take time to remove the legal obstacle to the construction of the necessary liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals on the north coast of Germany that could store imported LNG from countries such as Qatar and the United States. He said: “We are actively working to become independent of oil imports and we believe we will be able to do it this year. And we are actively working to become independent of the need to import gas from Russia. “This, as you can imagine, is not so easy, because infrastructure is needed to build it.” Johnson expressed his sympathy for the German difficult position. “This is not easy for any of us and I applaud the seismic decisions taken by the Olaf government to remove Germany from Russian hydrocarbons. “We can not transform our respective energy systems overnight, but we also know that Putin’s war will not end overnight.” However, he added: “I think by the middle of 2024, as I recall, Germany will stop using Russian gas, which is a great thing.” Asked if he agreed with Johnson’s timetable, Solz said: “We are optimistic that we will get rid of the need to import gas from Russia very soon.” Solz stressed that the change in Germany’s energy supply would be permanent, which he said would cause long-term damage to the Russian economy. He said Germany would use renewable energy for all its electricity within 20 years. As for Ukraine’s armaments, Johnson signaled a change of strategy. “Some of the kits that NATO has just would not be suitable. “Perhaps it is more useful to support them, the Ukrainians, by filling in and allowing some of the countries of the former Warsaw Pact to supply some of their own armor.” The Ukrainian armed forces are being trained to use the kind of heavy weapons supplied by the Czechs and Slovaks. Britain is sending more Starstreak anti-aircraft missiles and 800 anti-tank missiles to Ukraine following an “unconscious” attack on a train station in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk on Friday, Johnson said. “High-quality military equipment” is worth 100 100 million, Johnson said, with UK anti-tank missiles considered particularly powerful against Russian forces. Asked if Germany was willing to send Marder tanks, Scholz said: “We are trying to send those weapons that are useful and can be used. The successes of the Ukrainian army show that we have sent effective weapons – anti-tank weapons, a lot of ammunition and everything that accompanies it. At the same time… we have to take a careful look at what can be used effectively, and these are very technical questions. “
