Germany’s Scholz plans to meet Putin in Moscow to talk about Ukraine
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz will meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow to discuss Russia’s military build-up on Ukraine’s border, German public broadcaster ZDF reported on Feb. 2.
“The situation is quite serious,” said Scholz.
“We can’t ignore the massive buildup on Ukraine’s border. We need to be clear on the fact that attacking Ukraine’s territorial sovereignty will come at a high cost.”
According to Scholz, he will make a stop in the United States prior to heading to Moscow.
“It is a matter of a coordinated policy,” added the German chancellor.
“We are taking well prepared decisions.”
Scholz, a Social Democrat, was elected chancellor by the German parliament on Dec. 8, taking over from Angela Merkel.
Since the end of Oct. 2021, Russia has been massing troops to the Ukrainian borders. Russia has since deployed more than 130,000 troops and offensive weapons near the Ukrainian border and in the temporarily occupied territories, according to the latest intelligence estimate from the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine.
International media have speculated that Russia may invade Ukraine in early 2022, in an operation that could involve up to 200,000 Russian soldiers.
The Kremlin says the troop movements are an internal affair of the Russian Federation.
At the same time, Moscow has repeatedly accused Ukraine of planning “provocations,” and alleged that Kyiv plans to regain control of the occupied territories by military means. The Kremlin has failed to back up any of its allegations with evidence, however.
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