Chancellor Olaf Scholz defended the German government's position on foreign and economic policies in the Bundestag ahead of his meeting with the European Council in Brussels later this week.
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00:00Chancellor Olaf Scholz defended the German government's position on migration, foreign
00:09and economic policies in the Bundestag on Wednesday ahead of his meeting with the European
00:14Council scheduled for Brussels at the end of this week. Scholz stressed that he is open
00:19to speaking with Russian President Putin but said he would never make decisions about the
00:23future of Ukraine over the heads of the Ukrainians. On the topic of tensions in the Middle East,
00:29he reiterated the need for a ceasefire but said that Israel would always have Germany's
00:33support. He said that Israel can rely on German weapons deliveries but underlined that humanitarian
00:38aid for Gaza is needed. The German leader warned that Iran is playing with fire regarding
00:44its attacks on Israel. Scholz also promised to meet with Germany's top business associations
00:49this month with a view to solving German industrial problems. He criticised the EU's new tariffs
00:54on Chinese electric cars and said that Germany needs to build the best cars and competes
00:58globally. With the German federal election scheduled for autumn next year, it seems like
01:03Scholz and his government face an uphill battle to turning the promises into reality before
01:08then. Liv Stroud, in Berlin, for Euronews.