Russian leader Vladimir Putin held a telephone conversation with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz for the first time in two years, the Kremlin press service said.
‘On the initiative of the German side, President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin held the first telephone conversation with Federal Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany Olaf Scholz since December 2022,’ the Kremlin press service said in a statement.
The politicians had a detailed and frank exchange of views on the situation in Ukraine. Putin recalled that the current crisis was a direct result of NATO’s long-standing aggressive policy aimed at creating an anti-Russian bridgehead on Ukrainian territory while ignoring Russia’s security interests and violating the rights of Russian-speaking residents. The head of state emphasised that agreements on the Ukrainian conflict should take into account the interests of the Russian Federation and the realities on the ground.
‘Possible agreements should take into account the interests of the Russian Federation in the sphere of security, proceed from the new territorial realities, and most importantly – to eliminate the root causes of the conflict,’ the press service pointed out.
The Russian leader added that Moscow has never given up on a political and diplomatic settlement of the conflict in Ukraine and is open to negotiations on the basis of the proposals voiced in the Russian Foreign Ministry in June.
‘As for the prospects of political and diplomatic settlement of the conflict, the Russian president noted that the Russian side has never refused and remains open to the resumption of negotiations, which were interrupted by the Kiev regime. Russia’s proposals are well known and are outlined, in particular, in the June speech at the Russian Foreign Ministry,’ the Kremlin concluded.
We shall remind you that earlier Vladimir Putin said that the direct involvement of Western countries in the conflict in Ukraine changes its essence, Russia will make decisions based on the threats posed to it.
