The Ukrainian ambassador to Germany, Andriy Melnyk, demanded that Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) give an ultimatum to Russian President Vladimir Putin before his visit to Moscow on Tuesday.

"Only a crisp and clear ultimatum to Mr. Putin with a deadline to order his armed hordes back no later than February 16 can save world peace," Melnyk told the newspapers of the Funke media group.

"Should the Kremlin boss ignore this very last warning, extremely painful preventive sanctions against Russia would have to be introduced step by step the very next day," Melnyk demanded.

The punitive economic measures were to include a total embargo on imports of oil, gas, coal and other strategic commodities, the freezing of Russian state assets abroad - including bank accounts - a complete ban on investments in Russia, and extensive personal sanctions against Russian leaders and oligarchs.

Final end for Nord Stream 2 demanded

"All cards must finally be on the table," demanded Melnyk.

"The final end for Nord Stream 2 should not only be publicly confirmed, but also politically decided and legally implemented forever and ever," emphasized Melnyk.

"We expect that Chancellor Olaf Scholz - in his elegant Hanseatic way - not only with his fist, but maybe also with his shoe - if necessary - bangs on the notorious long table in the Kremlin to talk Mr. Putin to reason bring and bury his insane plans of conquest."

The additional 150 million euros in German loan guarantees for Ukraine promised by Scholz during his visit to Kiev on Monday are "a good step forward," said the ambassador.

But this is not enough.

“Ukrainians are expecting a multi-billion dollar support program from Chancellor to strengthen the resilience of the economy.

But above all, a prospect of joining the EU,” demanded Melnyk.

After his trip to Kiev, Scholz will come to Moscow on Tuesday for an inaugural visit.

According to his own statements, he wants to urge Putin to de-escalate the Ukraine conflict.

At the same time, Scholz announced that he would again point out to the Russian President that an attack on Ukraine would have "serious political, economic and geostrategic consequences for Russia".

A massive Russian troop deployment on the border with Ukraine that has been going on for weeks has fueled fears in Kiev and in the west that Russia could be planning an invasion of the neighboring country.

The government in Moscow denies any plans of attack.

Left parliamentary group leader Dietmar Bartsch proposed former Chancellor Angela Merkel as a mediator in the conflict.

"She has the authority on both parties to the conflict that is necessary to calm the situation," Bartsch told the Funke newspapers.

Chancellor Scholz's federal government does not have the mediating role that his predecessor as Chancellor played, especially with the Minsk Agreement of 2015.

"The federal government would be well advised to work with France to propose Merkel as a possible peace mediator between Russia and Ukraine."

In 2015, Merkel and then French President François Hollande mediated in the negotiations on a peace plan for eastern Ukraine in the Belarusian capital.

Parts of Ukraine's regions along Russia's border have been controlled by pro-Russian separatists for almost eight years.

The governments in Kiev and Moscow accuse each other of violating the agreement.