MOSCOW, February 15. /TASS/. All disputed issues arising in relations between the countries need to be resolved through dialogue, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz stated on Tuesday during talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
"I am also glad that our meeting took place," the German chancellor said, recalling that he had taken office as head of the Cabinet. "To me, [visiting Russia] is something special, taking into account our history," Scholz noted.
"It is obvious that now, amid such a challenging situation in Europe, we must hold face-to-face talks, as you did with my French colleague," the head of the government said. "I am glad that there is a possibility for such negotiations. It is essential that the relations between the countries are always settled through dialogue," Scholz emphasized.
The German chancellor also pointed to the importance of economic cooperation between Berlin and Moscow. "It’s great that we have very good economic ties," he said.
On December 8, 2021, Olaf Scholz took office as new German Chancellor succeeding Angela Merkel, with whom Putin had been in close contacts for years. This is Scholz’s first visit to Russia. In late December, the German chancellor and Russian leader had their first phone talks.
Earlier, a source in the German Cabinet said that the sides would focus on the situation around Ukraine. Concerns over Moscow's alleged preparations for an invasion of Ukraine have been increasingly expressed in the West and in Kiev recently. Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov castigated these statements as an empty and groundless escalation of tension, emphasizing that Russia posed no threat to anyone. At the same time, the Kremlin press secretary did not exclude some possible provocations to justify such claims and warned that the attempts to resolve the Ukrainian conflict by force would carry extremely serious consequences.