Olaf Scholz (Photo: EPA)

Giving Ukraine the opportunity to strike military targets on Russian territory with weapons supplied by the country will not lead to escalation, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on the air of the Antenne Bayern radio station, Deutsche Welle reports.

According to Scholz, Ukraine's right to strike targets in Russia with Western weapons will only enable Kyiv to protect its large cities, including Kharkiv.

The German official noted that the decision to grant Kyiv the right to use German weapons to strike targets on the territory of the Russian Federation was carefully thought out in cooperation with the allies.

At the same time, the politician stressed that he would never allow pressure on him to convince him to make "wrong and untimely decisions".

On May 31, Germany officially allowed Ukraine to use its weapons against targets on the territory of the Russian Federation.

As German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius explained, Berlin changed its rhetoric due to "adaptation" to the Russo-Ukrainian war.