Olaf Scholz accuses Putin of going on crusade against the West

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of initiating a crusade against the West in the form of the special military operation in Ukraine. According to Scholz, Putin stood up against ideas of liberalism and the Western world order in general, Handelsblatt publication said

"This war concerns not only Ukraine. Most likely, the Russian leadership views the war as "part of a big crusade." This "crusade" is against liberal democracy, against the rules-based international order," Scholz said.

The chancellor added that Germany would provide the Kyiv authorities with as much military and economic assistance as needed to protect the sovereignty and integrity of Ukraine.

Earlier, Putin said that Russia was doing everything to create an equal and indivisible security system in the world based on universal, recognized principles of international law and the UN Charter, rather than on someone else's rules.