German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has said that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was “stuck” and that President Vladimir Putin needed to “hear the truth”.

He warned that suggestions of an embargo on Russian energy supplies should be discounted, as its impact on Europe would be devastating.

He said that imposing sanctions on Russia would cause a recession in Germany, but he added that “doing this from one day to the next would push our country and the whole of Europe into a recession”.

Russian forces are not advancing in Ukraine despite the continued heavy bombardment of cities and towns, Scholz said.

“Putin’s offensive is stuck despite all the destruction that it is bringing day after day,” he said, adding that the Russian leader “needs to hear the truth”, stop fighting and try to find a diplomatic solution.

Mr. Scholz said the war in Ukraine is not only destroying Ukrainian homes and businesses, but also Russian interests.

Moscow has warned European states of further sanctions, saying “We are constantly tightening the sanctions, but they should not hurt Russian leadership harder than the Russian leadership.”