(Bloomberg) -- Chancellor Olaf Scholz underscored Germany’s determination to protect Ukraine from Russian aggression and urged Moscow to embrace “the gains of cooperation.”

Scholz said it’s still too early to tell whether diplomatic efforts to resolve the conflict will bear fruit, while highlighting Germany’s efforts to foster talks with Russia in various international formats.

Germany is committed to protecting Ukraine’s territorial integrity and Russia should recognize that “right makes might” and not the other way round, he said Wednesday, in remarks prepared for a virtual World Economic Forum event.

“The Russian side is aware of our determination,” Scholz said. “I hope they also realize that the gains of cooperation outweigh the price of further confrontation.”

Fears are mounting that Russia’s aggression toward Ukraine could escalate into full-scale armed conflict despite intensive efforts in recent weeks to broker a peaceful solution.

President Vladimir Putin has denied he plans to invade Ukraine, despite massing more than 100,000 troops along Russia’s frontier with its neighbor. He has demanded security guarantees from NATO that the military alliance has said it cannot give.

Scholz will hold talks in Berlin Thursday with U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, before Blinken meets his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, in Geneva on Friday.

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