BERLIN, 20 December. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has said that he intends to continue speaking directly to Russian President Vladimir Putin in the hope of contributing to ending the conflict in Ukraine.
"I have spoken to the Russian president and I will speak to him again," Scholz said at a joint press conference with Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal in Berlin. Scholz said he intended to "clearly communicate" to the Russian leader the need for him to contribute to ending the conflict and withdrawing troops. "I think that's something that needs to be said," He added.
At the same time, Scholz reiterated that "no decision can be taken behind the backs of the Ukrainians".
Answering questions on December 19 during a combined question-and-answer session and year-end press conference, Putin said Moscow was ready to negotiate on Ukraine without preconditions, but taking into account the current situation and on the basis of previously reached agreements.
Scholz telephoned Putin on 15 November. Before that, the two leaders spoke by phone on December 2, 2022. In their last conversation, the Kremlin said they discussed Ukraine, the Middle East and bilateral relations. Putin and Scholz agreed that their aides would keep in touch.
TASS / photo: wikipedia cvommons / gnews.cz-jav
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