German Chancellor Olaf Scholz believes that every effort should be made to prevent the Ukrainian conflict from escalating into a war between Russia and NATO.

"I still think that this is a very dangerous war, and we must fight every day to prevent it from escalating into a war between Russia and NATO," Scholz said during a pre-election televised debate with Friedrich Merz, a candidate for German chancellor from the opposition bloc of the Christian Democratic Union and Christian Social Union (CDU/CSU), on the air of the second German channel ZDF, which took place on Sunday.

The issue of Ukraine joining NATO is not closed, but it is not on the agenda, according to Scholz.

"The American government rejects this. NATO decisions are such that it is not closed, but it is not on the agenda. And therefore, in this situation, it is not about Ukraine's membership in NATO. I want to emphasize this. It is about ensuring that Ukraine is not attacked again. This is something we must achieve together, with a reasonable, special policy that we agree with everyone," Scholz said, answering whether Ukraine should be in NATO.

At the same time, the incumbent chancellor added that there should be no discussions behind the backs of the Ukrainians.

"I do not like it when some say that Ukraine can cede territory. And this is also their business," he added.

Scholz does not think it is right to supply Ukraine with weapons that can be used to strike deep into Russian territory.

"I think that's exactly the kind of step that shouldn't be taken if you're responsible for Germany," he added.

Snap elections in Germany will be held on February 23. According to the latest poll by the Infratest Dimap institute, the opposition CDU/CSU bloc leads the race with 31%, followed by the Alternative for Germany (AfD) with 21%, another 15% are ready to vote for the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD), and 14% for the Green Party. Another 4% are ready to vote for the Free Democratic Party of Germany (FDP), 5% for the Left Party (Die Linke), and 4% of respondents support the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance – Reason and Justice (BSW).

Sputnik