German Chancellor Olaf Scholz will miss the second day of Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky’s ‘peace conference’ in Switzerland due to an emergency meeting with his political party. He is facing challenging talks on the budget as Germany grapples with a €1 billion budget gap that has sparked a heated dispute among coalition partners.
The nation’s economy has been struggling following economic restrictions on Russia, leading to an energy crisis and a warning of a potential recession in the first quarter of this year. Scholz has also faced criticism for delaying new EU sanctions on Russia.
Despite accusations of stalling sanctions, Scholz emphasized the importance of ensuring that German economy activities are maintained while discussing the specific design of the sanctions with EU diplomats. He highlighted that without Russia’s participation, peace in Ukraine would not be achievable.
The chancellor’s absence from the conference coincides with other world leaders like US Vice President Kamala Harris, French President Emmanuel Macron, and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida leaving the event prematurely, emphasizing the significance of finding resolutions to complex international conflicts.
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