Olaf Scholz made his inaugural visit as German chancellor to Moscow on Tuesday to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin, with the ongoing crisis at the Russian-Ukrainian border dominating the agenda.
Scholz arrived in Moscow after a trip to Kyiv on Monday, where he met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to strengthen Berlin’s support in the face of Russian aggression.
“The most important thing is that we manage relations between countries through good discussions with each other,” Scholz said as he met Putin, adding he was glad the two leaders were able to meet face to face.
He also praised the “very orderly business ties” between the two countries, while acknowledging the “difficult situation” for peace and security in Europe.
In his opening remarks, Putin also focused on economic ties, while noting “heated discussions” around Ukraine.
“Unfortunately, we will devote a significant portion of our time to issues related to the situation in Europe and to security,” said Putin, who was also aiming to discuss the issue of energy supply.
Berlin’s ambiguous relations with Moscow
Germany has found itself in a difficult situation regarding the threat of a Russian invasion of Ukraine. It is both a member of NATO and an important trade partner for Russia.
Berlin has repeatedly vowed its support for Ukrainian sovereignty, but has been less keen on threats of abandoning the controversial Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline that would bring Russian fuel directly into Germany.
Germany has also been criticized for refusing to sell weapons to Kyiv due to the region being an active conflict zone.
However, Germany has not been spared retaliation from its Russian partners. The Kremlin recently banned the broadcasting of Deutsche Welle in Russia after the Russian state-backed channel RT failed to secure a legal license for broadcasting in Germany.
Economic ties at stake
Russia also showed signals of being open to further talks to avoid an open military conflict on Tuesday by announcing that some soldiers that had been participating in military exercises near Ukraine had returned to their bases.
Germany joined a raft of other countries on Sunday by calling on its citizens in Ukraine to leave the country immediately, amid fears of an imminent Russian invasion.
Scholz’s trip is a “last-minute attempt… to avoid war” but it is “‘up to Putin to now send signals for de-escalation,” conservative German lawmaker Thomas Silberhorn told DW on Tuesday.
Regarding a course of action for sanctions, Silberhorn warned they would go “far beyond economic” ones, with “the entire relations between Russia and Western countries” being at stake.
Asked about Germany’s stance on Nord Stream 2, Silberhorn said “Germany is ready to include the Nord Stream 2 pipeline into a variety of sanctions of the Western countries,” but as part of a broader sanctions package.
ab/dj (dpa, AFP, Reuters)
Ukraine crisis: German Chancellor Olaf Scholz meets Putin in Moscow
Source: Pinoy Pop News
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