Germany Kremlin: Putin open to talks with Scholz
According to the Kremlin, Russian President Vladimir Putin is still open to talks with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. "We have repeatedly stated that we remain open to contacts," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the Russian news agency Interfax.
13.10.2024, 14:13
SDA
So far, however, there has been no proposal from the German side for telephone contact.
Peskov was reacting to a statement by German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, who had said on Friday that Putin was no longer even willing to speak to the Chancellor on the phone.
Last phone call in December 2022
Scholz has recently emphasized that the possibilities for peace must be explored. There were also reports of an allegedly planned phone call with Putin. On October 2, Peskov had already responded to the reports by stating that Putin was open to a dialog, even if relations between Moscow and Berlin - not at Russia's initiative - were effectively at a standstill. He also said that there were "no common issues on the surface".
Scholz last spoke to Putin on the phone in December 2022. He had called for a diplomatic solution and the withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine. In June, Scholz did not want to rule out talks with Putin in the future, but said at the time that talks would only make sense if there was something concrete to discuss.
