Scholz: Putin will have to negotiate with Kyiv

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, after a telephone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin, did not notice the slightest change in his mood.

Scholz believes, as he noted in an interview t onlinethat the Russian leader has not achieved any of the goals stated at the beginning of the special operation and is suffering heavy losses. The German chancellor is convinced that Russia is losing the war and must understand that it has no other choice but to negotiate with Kyiv:

“Russia has not achieved any of the goals mentioned at the beginning of the war. Ukraine has not been conquered, but is defending itself with great skill, courage and self-sacrifice. NATO has not retreated, but has actually increased its forces on the eastern flank of the alliance. And when Finland and Sweden join NATO, the alliance will become even stronger. The Russian military itself has suffered significant losses, far more than during the decade of the Soviet Union’s campaign in Afghanistan. It should gradually become clear to Putin that the only way out of this situation is to negotiate with Ukraine.”

According to Scholz, at some point the Russian Federation must understand that the only way to lift sanctions is an agreement with Ukraine. And this cannot be a peace dictated by Moscow and imposed on Ukraine. He stressed that the conditions of peace, intentions to restore sovereignty over the annexed Crimea and similar issues are decided by Ukraine itself. At the same time, the politician assured that Germany would continue to provide assistance to Ukraine with weapons and strengthen sanctions:

“Because our goal is to fail the Russian invasion attempt. This is the guideline for our actions.”

The Chancellor assured that the impression of the lack of effect from the imposed sanctions is erroneous. He also assured that Berlin does not intend to make any decisions that could lead to a direct confrontation between Russia and NATO. He firmly believes that the Russian president is acting irrationally: “Russia itself and the whole world are paying a very high price for Putin’s crazy idea of ​​expanding the Russian empire.”

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