Russian President Vladimir Putin is sticking to his plan of violently conquering Ukrainian territory, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said this weekend while discussing his recent calls with the Russian leader.
During a public appearance in Potsdam near Berlin, Scholz spoke about the numerous phone calls he has had with Putin since Moscow invaded Ukraine in February, most recently in early December.
“Whenever I speak to Putin, he says very clearly that his aim is to conquer something,” the Social Democrat chancellor said.
Despite high losses on Moscow’s side – Scholz estimated that 100,000 Russian soldiers might have died –, “he just wants to conquer part of Ukraine’s territory, using violence,” he added.
The head of government also said Russia’s brutal approach in previous wars, for example in Syria and Chechenya, had shown that “with Putin, there is no reluctance.”
Even so, Scholz said he will continue to hold calls with the Russian leader: “After all, I want to experience the moment where it is possible to get out of this situation. And this is not possible if you do not talk.”
Recently, former Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) had called on current leaders to work towards a “diplomatic solution” to Russia’s ongoing invasion – a view that is also shared by parts of Scholz’s own Social Democrats (SPD).
However, many, including Green Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, have stressed that any peace agreement would have to be on Kyiv’s terms and that more military support is needed in order to put Ukraine in a stronger bargaining position.
(Julia Dahm | EURACTIV.de)
Source: euractiv.com
