German Chancellor Olaf Scholz believes that there is no chance of ending the war between Russia and Ukraine through negotiations until Moscow agrees to withdraw its forces from the occupied territories, DPA reported on Friday.

Olaf Scholz with the Leopard tank on his backPhoto: Sven Eckelkamp / Imago stock and people / Profimedia

“The moment they announce the withdrawal of troops, then the way for negotiations with Ukraine will be open – I am quite sure of that,” said the head of the executive power of Germany at a public debate in the city of Marburg on Thursday. Hess land in the center of the country.

“But we still have some work to do on that goal,” Olaf Scholz added in the context of Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s recent proposal that countries like Brazil and China could play a mediator role in the conflict between Ukraine and Russia. .

Kyiv has said it rejects any talks until Russian troops are fully withdrawn from Ukraine, including the Crimean peninsula, illegally annexed by Russia in 2014.

For its part, the Kremlin distanced itself from the idea of ​​peace talks after Germany and other Western states announced that they would send tanks to the Ukrainian army.

Olaf Scholz condemns Russia’s wishes as “unacceptable”.

The German chancellor’s new comments came after he said at the end of January that he was leaving the channel of negotiations with the Kremlin open.

“I will talk to Putin, because it is necessary to talk to each other,” he told the newspaper “Tagesspiegel”, stressing then that “it is up to Putin to withdraw the troops from Ukraine and stop this senseless war that it is waging.” has already cost hundreds of thousands of lives.”

He warned again that what Russia wants is “unacceptable”: “to forcibly incorporate parts of a neighboring country.”

“Sometimes specific questions arose regarding the exchange of prisoners, the export of grain from Ukraine and the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant,” Scholz said, adding that for him “it is important that the discussions always return to the current topic: the withdrawal of Russian troops.” ”

Olaf Scholz also stated that “the Chancellor of Germany, who takes the oath seriously, must do everything to prevent Russia’s war against Ukraine from turning into a war between Russia and NATO.”

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