(MENAFN- Hip Hop-24) German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced Sunday that he wants to continue talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the war in Ukraine.
Schulz told Der Spiegel newspaper (based in Berlin) in an interview published on Sunday: "I will call Putin again because we need to talk to each other."
He added, "It is up to Putin to withdraw forces from Ukraine and end this horrific and senseless war that has already claimed thousands of lives."
He added, "The situation will not change as long as Russia continues the war with unreduced aggression."
He went on to say that although previous phone calls with Putin were "not impolite in tone," the Russian leader has repeatedly emphasized that he wants to "forcefully incorporate parts of his neighboring country," which is "unacceptable."
He also noted that "sometimes there were certain questions about the exchange of prisoners, grain exports from Ukraine and the Zaporizhia nuclear plant."
"It is important for me that the talks always return to the main topic: How can the world get out of this terrible situation? The prerequisite for this is clear: the withdrawal of Russian forces," he said.
He warned again that NATO should not be drawn into a war with Moscow.
He also stressed that "any German chancellor who takes his constitutional oath seriously must do everything he can to ensure that Russia's war against Ukraine does not turn into a war between Russia and NATO."
He vowed that he would not "allow such an escalation."
The German chancellor was referring to remarks made by Foreign Minister Analina Baerbock, who landed her country in limbo this week by saying that Europe was "at war with Russia".
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