BERLIN, February 27. /TASS/. Reconciliation between Germany and Russia will remain an important part of the common history, alienation due to events in Ukraine cannot be allowed, Chancellor of Germany Olaf Scholz said on Sunday.
"It's important for me to differentiate because reconciliation between Germans and Russians after World War II was and remains an important chapter in our common history," he said. "I know how hard it is to endure the current situation for many citizens of our country who were born in Ukraine and Russia," Scholz said, urging that events in Ukraine should not lead to "opening old wounds" and severing ties.
Scholz said the Russian leadership will soon feel the price to be paid for its actions in Ukraine. The Chancellor recalled that the West had previously adopted a tough package of sanctions, which included disconnecting some banks from the SWIFT interbank system.
At the same time, the German authorities will invest more than 2% of the national GDP in defense, Scholz added.