Kremlin: Putin open ‘to contacts’ with Germany’s Scholz

(Reuters) – Russian President Vladimir Putin is open to contacts with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz although has no telephone name scheduled with him, a Kremlin spokesman informed the state RIA Novosti information company on Sunday.

Germany, beforehand the West’s foremost holdout on offering trendy battle tanks to Ukraine to assist it struggle off Russia’s invasion, mentioned final week it might ship 14 of its Leopard 2 tanks to Kyiv and in addition approve Leopard shipments by allied European nations. The announcement, adopted shortly afterwards by a U.S. pledge of M1 Abrams tanks to Kyiv, infuriated the Kremlin.

“For now, there aren’t any agreed talks (with Scholz) within the schedule. Putin has been and stays open to contacts,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was quoted as saying by RIA Novosti.

Scholz was quoted by the Berlin every day Tagesspiegel in an interview revealed on Sunday as saying, “I may also converse to Putin once more – as a result of it’s obligatory to talk.”

He added: “The onus is on Putin to withdraw troops from Ukraine to finish this horrendous, mindless warfare that has value a whole bunch of hundreds of lives already.”

Spokespeople for Scholz couldn’t be instantly reached for remark. He’s presently on a go to to South America.

Putin and Scholz final spoke by telephone in early December. The Russian chief mentioned on the time the German and Western line on Ukraine was “damaging” and referred to as on Berlin to rethink its strategy.

Germany is the second largest donor of army {hardware} to Ukraine after the US, in response to the Kiel Institute for the World Economic system, forward of different European powers equivalent to France and Britain.

Moscow calls its actions a “particular army operation” to fend off a hostile, encroaching West. Ukraine and its allies say the invasion was an unprovoked act of aggression.

Kyiv says peace talks are doable provided that Russia stops attacking and withdraws all forces from Ukrainian soil.

(Reporting by Reuters; Enhancing by Mark Heinrich)