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Scholz says ready to discuss Ukrainian settlement with Putin

At the same time, the German cabinet has nothing to say at the moment about the possible telephone conversation between Putin and Scholz

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz

© AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi

BERLIN, October 16. /TASS/. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has said he is ready to discuss the peaceful settlement of the situation in Ukraine with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Speaking in the Bundestag, the chancellor advocated holding a peace conference on Ukraine with Russia’s participation. "In this regard, I think we’re right when we say that we will talk to the Russian president," Scholz emphasized. At the same time, he pointed out that there are clear principles in peace efforts, in particular that all possible decisions cannot be made "behind Ukraine's back and without coordination with partners."

At the same time, the German cabinet has nothing to say at the moment about the possible telephone conversation between Putin and Scholz. In turn, State Secretary Steffen Hebestreit emphasized that the German chancellor is always ready to get in touch with the Russian president "if it is appropriate," but has no such plans at the moment.

On October 1, the Die Zeit newspaper reported, citing official sources, that Scholz was planning to get in touch with Putin ahead of the G20 summit to be held in Brazil in November. If such a conversation takes place, the German chancellor will be the first leader of the Western bloc to communicate with Putin in the past year and a half.

On October 2, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov reiterated that Putin has always been and remains ready for dialogue. However, he recalled that at the moment Putin and Scholz do not have any common topics for discussion. He emphasized that the relations of Russia and Germany have practically come to naught.

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