PUTIN TO SCHOLZ: THE CURRENT CRISIS IS THE RESULT OF NATO’S AGGRESSIVE POLICY AIMED AT CREATING AN ANTI-RUSSIAN BASEHEAD IN UKRAINE – KREMLIN
Putin told Scholz that Moscow is open to negotiations with Kiev. Possible agreements must take into account territorial realities and Russia’s interests in the security sphere, as well as eliminate the causes of the conflict.
President Vladimir Putin presented Russia’s position on the settlement in Ukraine in a conversation with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, the Kremlin press service reported.
“The Russian President noted that the Russian side has never refused and remains open to resuming the negotiations that were interrupted by the Kyiv regime. Russia’s proposals are well known and were outlined, in particular, in a June speech at the Russian Foreign Ministry,” the Kremlin reported.
In the conversation, Putin emphasized that possible agreements must take into account Russia’s interests in the security sphere, be based on “new territorial realities,” and, most importantly, eliminate the root causes of the conflict. Vladimir Putin named the reasons for the conflict as “NATO’s long-standing aggressive policy aimed at creating an anti-Russian bridgehead on Ukrainian territory while ignoring our country’s interests in the security sphere and trampling on the rights of Russian-speaking residents.”
The leaders also discussed bilateral relations. Putin noted “their unprecedented degradation in all areas as a consequence of the unfriendly course of the German authorities.” He stressed that Moscow is “ready for mutually beneficial cooperation,” including in the energy sector, if Berlin shows such interest. Scholz and Putin agreed that their assistants “will be in touch,” the Kremlin added.
During the conversation, Scholz and Putin also touched on the situation in the Middle East. The Russian president spoke about Moscow’s efforts to de-escalate and “find peaceful solutions to the crisis in the region.”
Scholz and Putin spoke on the phone for the first time since December 2022. According to Reuters, the conversation lasted about an hour. During the conversation, the German chancellor called on Putin to stop the military operation in Ukraine, withdraw troops and be ready to begin negotiations with Kiev on a “just and lasting peace,” the German cabinet said. He also stressed Germany’s determination to support Ukraine “as long as necessary.”
Before calling Putin, Scholz contacted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and intends to do so after the conversation, the German cabinet added.
In June, Putin named Moscow’s conditions for a ceasefire and the start of negotiations. Among them: the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the territory of the Donbass republics, Zaporizhia and Kherson regions; recognition of these regions and Crimea as part of Russia; Ukraine’s refusal to join NATO and confirmation of its non-nuclear status, as well as the lifting of sanctions. Zelensky called these conditions an ultimatum.
