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German chancellor to visit Moscow on February 15 — newspaper

According to the sources, the main goal of this visit is to ease tensions around Ukraine

BERLIN, February 3. /TASS/. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz will make a trip to Russia on February 15 after visiting Washington and Kiev, the Suddeutsche Zeitung newspaper reported on Thursday.

According to the newspaper’s sources, the main goal of Scholz’s visits is to ease tensions around Ukraine. Suddeutsche Zeitung added that Russia’s move to shut down the operations of Deutsche Welle would overshadow the German chancellor’s visit to Russia.

Scholz plans to step up diplomatic efforts with regard to the situation around Ukraine, the paper noted. In particular, the chancellor will hold talks with Presidents Emmanuel Macron of France and Andrzej Duda of Poland in Berlin on February 8. The talks, which will take place on the so-called Weimar Triangle platform, will be dedicated to resolving the conflict in Ukraine.

Officials in the German cabinet declined to confirm Scholz’s upcoming visit to Russia to TASS, saying that the chancellor’s work schedule for the following week was always announced on Fridays.

Scholz told the ZDF TV channel on Wednesday night that he planned to visit Moscow to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The German chancellor stressed that he was actively cooperating on the Ukraine issue with allies and partners in the European Union.

According to the German government, Scholz has held only one telephone conversation with Putin after taking office on December 8. Scholz is expected to meet with US President Joe Biden on February 7. According to the White House, "the leaders will discuss their shared commitment to both ongoing diplomacy and joint efforts to deter further Russian aggression against Ukraine." "They will also discuss the importance of continued close cooperation on a range of common challenges, including ending the COVID-19 pandemic, addressing the threat of climate change, and promoting economic prosperity and international security based on our shared democratic values," the White House added.

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