(MENAFN) German Chancellor Olaf Scholz claimed in an interview with CNN's Fareed Zakaria on Sunday that Russian President Vladimir Putin is the key to putting an end to the brutal conflict in Ukraine. He maintained that in order for peace talks to proceed, Russia must remove its soldiers from the neighboring nation. The Kremlin has previously stated that this requirement for peace negotiations is untenable, though.
“It is necessary that Putin understands that he will not succeed with his invasion and imperialistic aggression. And that he has to withdraw troops. This is the basis for talks,” disputed Scholz. On the other hand, Ukraine was “ready for peace, but there must be something done – and this has to be done by Putin,” he also mentioned.
The message coming out of Kiev, where President Vladimir Zelensky has passed legislation making communication with the current Russian administration impossible, is contradicted by Scholz's statement.
The German chancellor was questioned about the viability of a deal in which Ukraine relinquished Crimea and portions of Donbass to Russia in exchange for security assurances like NATO and European Union membership. The German Chancellor claimed that " no decisions without the Ukrainians" would not be made.
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