Emergency meeting of European leaders: Scholz assured that "there will be no imposed or dictated peace."

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz was the first among European leaders to speak to journalists following an emergency meeting on Monday at the Élysée Palace in Paris, reports Le Monde.

He began his address by emphasizing the necessity of continuing support for Ukraine.

"We welcome discussions about a peace agreement, but it is clear to us that this cannot be a dictator-imposed peace," Scholz stated.

The German politician also stressed the importance of cooperation between the U.S. and Europe.

"There should be no division on security and responsibility issues between Europe and the U.S.," – Le Monde quotes him as saying.

He further reiterated that "it is still too early" to discuss the deployment of peacekeepers in Ukraine, even expressing that he was "a bit irritated" by the journalist's question and deemed the topic "very inappropriate."

"We are talking behind Ukraine's back, based on an agreement that does not exist," – he remarked, adding that "the time for peace has not yet come," and that Ukraine is still "in the midst of a brutal war."

Regarding the financing of the European response to Russian aggression, the German Chancellor confirmed that European states "are all prepared to spend at least 2% of their GDP on the future of European defense."

"If European countries spend more, Germany advocates for these expenditures not to be counted in the calculation of the European budget deficit," – he added.

Background. Recall that Libération reported that European leaders began to "move" after the Munich Conference. The goal of the meeting in Paris is to prevent a peace agreement between the U.S. and Russia from being signed without the involvement of Europeans and Ukrainians.