German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has tried to reassure citizens that Germany will not become a party to the war in Ukraine by continuing to support Kiev in the fight against Russian forces.

“Yes, I give this guarantee,” he said in response to a question in the Bundestag parliament on Wednesday, echoing comments he had made before. “That’s what I stand for as chancellor.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin has however long regarded Germany and the Western military alliance NATO as a party to the war.

Scholz rejected the idea that there should be a ceasefire in Ukraine on Russian terms. “In my view, a ceasefire that involves Ukraine surrendering is something that we as Germany should never support.”

The chancellor said that this was not an abstract question, “as you can see from this strange peace offer from Mr Putin.”

“He has said that he is prepared to agree to a ceasefire if Ukraine also gives him more annexations for free, so to speak.”

This shows that Putin has no intention of ending the war, Scholz said.