"Something had to be done with Kharkov to prevent Russia from using the border as a protective shield," Scholz told reporters during a press briefing broadcast by the German television network Phoenix.
The chancellor also said German military aid to Ukraine would soon be facilitated via NATO facilities in the German city of Wiesbaden.
"In Washington, [it was] decided that the coordination of actions of many countries would no longer be done in Ramstein by the United States, but in Wiesbaden within NATO structures, without NATO itself doing anything. It is very important. But the fact that coordination would happen there clearly means that it would go on forever and that no one would suddenly get out on the wrong side of the bed one morning and say that now it is going to end," Scholz explained.
Scholz voiced support for peace initiatives with the participation of Russia and reiterated that Germany had no plans to engage in a direct confrontation with the Eurasian world power.
"I will not send soldiers to Ukraine. I will not shoot down Russian airplanes and missiles using German pilots and German fighters. No, we will not do that, and we will not allow our weapons to go deep into Russian territory," Scholz added.
German cabinet spokesperson Wolfgang Buchner confirmed in late May that Berlin would allow Kiev to use German-supplied weapons to attack Russian territory neighboring the Kharkov region. Buchner assured journalists that Berlin would not be a party to the Ukraine conflict despite supplying weapons to the regime. German government spokesperson Steffen Hebestreit said Berlin and Western allies stood in agreement that Kiev could use Western weapons to strike Russia near Kharkov.
Outgoing NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said in June that the alliance would establish a NATO command center in Wiesbaden to coordinate training and equipment donations for Ukraine and provide support to the long-term development of Kiev's armed forces.
Fighting has intensified around the Russian-speaking city of Khakov in recent months as Ukraine has launched strikes on Russian territory from the region. Moscow has promised to respond to Kiev's attacks, which frequently kill and injure Russian civilians.