BERLIN, September 4. /TASS/. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has criticized opponents of the US deployment of its missiles in the country, saying that Berlin's goal is to ensure peace and prevent war.

"Our goal is to ensure peace and prevent war," the NTV channel quoted Scholz as saying. "Our only task is to deter possible aggressors," he emphasized. At the same time, the chancellor claimed that Russia has allegedly been carrying out a large-scale arms buildup, including missiles, for years.

Earlier, a number of politicians, including from the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD), of which Scholz is a member, and Defense Minister Boris Pistorius criticized the government for plans to deploy American missiles in the country. Some have called for a public debate on the issue in the Bundestag (the parliament).

On July 10, the White House press office said that the US will start deploying new longer-range weapons of defeat than currently deployed in Europe to Germany starting in 2026. Russian Ambassador to Washington Anatoly Antonov said that these plans increase the likelihood of a missile arms race and could lead to uncontrolled escalation of tensions. On July 28, Russian President Vladimir Putin, while hosting the Main Naval Parade in St. Petersburg, warned Washington that Russia would stop enforcing its unilateral moratorium on the deployment of intermediate-and medium-range strike capabilities if US long-range missiles appeared in Germany. German cabinet spokeswoman Christiane Hoffmann told a briefing that the German government had taken note of the Russian leader's statement.