Russia-Ukraine war must not escalate into Russia-Nato war: Scholz

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The conflict between Russia and Ukraine must be prevented from escalating into a direct confrontation between Russia and NATO, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Saturday.

"I do not think it will happen, but at least we must stay alert for danger," the German Chancellor told the German newspaper Welt am Sonntag, answering a corresponding question, and emphasized that any careless moves must be avoided in such a risky situation.

"This should not lead to a direct conflict between Russia and NATO," Scholz added.  

At the same time, Scholz reiterated his country's support for Kiev, which is second to the United States in terms of financial and humanitarian assistance, as well as arms supply. 

The German Chancellor had promised that - without indicating any clear timeline - even more weapons “will be there soon", apparently referring to the long-promised deliveries of an Iris-T SLM anti-aircraft missile system and a Cobra artillery radar. 

Read more: Scholz wants "no escalation of war", yet more weapons to Ukraine

Half of the German population has expressed its opposition to delivering heavy arms to Ukraine, per a poll conducted by the German Institute for New Social Answers. Berlin vowed in June to send Kiev one Iris-T unit for free, but Ukraine requested at least a dozen of the most advanced air-defense systems and has offered to purchase the rest directly from the manufacturer, even as Germany’s armed forces reportedly do not have a sufficient supply of those for themselves.

Russia has been denouncing the West's supply of billions of dollars worth of weapons to Ukraine noting that it adds fuel to the fire. Moscow stressed that the supplied military equipment is a "legitimate target" for the Russian armed forces.