German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Saturday that the Russian president Vladimir Putin He is determined to fight Ukraine, but it is still important to keep communication channels open with him until the end of the war.
“When I talk to Putin, he says very clearly that for him it is a question of gaining a position… He simply wants to occupy part of Ukrainian territory by force,” he added during an event in Potsdam, near Berlin.
100 thousand Russian soldiers killed
Scholz also said it was unclear how many Russian soldiers had been killed in the military operation in Ukraine so far, but the number could reach 100,000.
“We have seen the brutality the Russian president is capable of… in Chechnya, where he has wiped out almost the entire country. Or in Syria, where there is no restraint,” he added.
From Russian bombing near Kiev – Reuters
Different opinions
“We have completely different opinions. However, I will continue to talk to him because I want to hear the moment when it is possible to get out of this situation. This is not possible without us talking together,” she said.
Interestingly, Schultz is one of the most Western leaders who have spoken directly with Putin since the February 24 Russian operation, and the last telephone conversation between them lasted an hour and was on December 2.
