According to the Kremlin, in a telephone call with Germany’s Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Putin signaled a willingness to engage in dialogue – but at the same time insisted on the fulfillment of Russian demands. The Kremlin announced on Friday in Moscow that Russia is open to talks with the Ukrainian side and anyone who wants peace in Ukraine. “On the condition that all Russian demands are met.”
“Demilitarization”, “denazification” and neutrality
In the communication, these conditions were listed again individually: Accordingly, it is about “demilitarization” and “denazification” as well as a neutral and non-nuclear status of Ukraine. Moscow is also demanding that Crimea, annexed from Ukraine in 2014, be recognized as Russian territory and that the administrative borders of the separatist regions of Luhansk and Donetsk should be sovereign. About a week ago, Putin ordered the attack on neighboring Ukraine and justified it with the protection of people in Donbass in eastern Ukraine.
German government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit announced on Friday that Scholz had called on Putin to call for a ceasefire during the conversation and that he was very concerned during the hour-long conversation. For days one has been seeing bad pictures and information from Ukraine. EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell also called on Putin to end all military operations in Ukraine.
“(Scholz) called on the Russian leadership to immediately stop all combat operations and to allow humanitarian access to the contested areas,” it said. Putin has informed the German Chancellor that Russia and Ukraine have scheduled a third round of talks for this weekend. The chancellor and Putin had also agreed on further talks “promptly”.
“This is Putin’s war”
“This is Putin’s war and Putin must stop this war,” Borrell said in Brussels. German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock accused Russia of targeted attacks against the Ukrainian civilian population. “You can clearly see that Putin’s war of aggression is now aimed at taking action against the civilian population with the utmost brutality,” she said on Friday afternoon during consultations with colleagues in Brussels. “We condemn in the strongest terms what has happened in the last few hours – that the attacks continue to spread to civilians.”
The fact that Putin is acting “with absolute severity” against the civilian population makes it clear once again that he doesn’t care about international agreements and international rules, added the Greens politician.
According to Baerbock, humanitarian support for the Ukrainians affected by the war is now being massively expanded. We must ensure that people affected by the “inhumane attacks” have access to humanitarian aid, medicine, food and water, she said.
Source: Nachrichten
