All news

Talks between Putin, Scholz likely to be extensive, says Kremlin spokesman

The Russian President and the German Chancellor will discuss situation in Europe, security guarantees, trade and economic ties

MOSCOW, February 15. /TASS/. The talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, which will kick off on Tuesday, are going to be extensive, since there is a plethora of questions to discuss, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

"It can be assumed that the negotiations [between Putin and Scholz] will be extensive, there are a lot of issues to address, [including] unprecedented tensions in Europe and security guarantees," the Kremlin spokesman stated, noting that the sides would also touch upon many bilateral issues. "This is a wide range of topics relating to our trade and economic ties, some major projects," he went on to say.

Peskov confirmed that all necessary sanitary measures would be observed during the talks. "The same safety measures [as during some previous meetings of Putin and foreign politicians] will be applied, [the sides] will observe a longer social distance than usual," the Kremlin spokesman revealed. He also insisted that "this would affect neither the content nor duration of the meeting."

Earlier, it was reported that Scholz refused Russia’s services in terms of taking COVID-19 test by the PCR method. The Kremlin spokesman emphasized that all parties had their own protocols and preferences. "We respect and understand the protocols of our German partners," he said.