Germany's Scholz urges Putin to withdraw troops from Ukraine

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has called on Russian President Vladimir Putin to end hostilities in Ukraine, urging troop withdrawal to bring the war to a close.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

Photo: PAP/EPA/PHILIP SINGER

Speaking at a press conference in Berlin, Scholz emphasized this message during Putin's participation in a virtual G20 summit.

"I have urged him to withdraw his troops from Ukrainian territory so that this war will finally end," Scholz said.

At today's G20 video conference, I called on Putin to end the attack on Ukraine and withdraw his troops. We must implement the G20 resolutions from India: This includes a just and lasting peace based on the UN Charter.

— Bundeskanzler Olaf Scholz (@Bundeskanzler) November 22, 2023

During the virtual G20 summit, Putin said that the war in Ukraine was "a tragedy" that must be stopped. He insisted that "Russia has never rejected peace talks with Ukraine."

He added: "It is necessary to think about how to end this tragedy."

"Russia has never cancelled peace talks with Ukraine," Russian President Vladimir Putin told a virtual G20 summit https://t.co/0nyMr9hw8D

— dpa news agency (@dpa_intl) November 22, 2023

Scholz, seeing Putin's G20 participation as a critical opportunity to discuss ending the conflict, stated: "It was Russia that attacked Ukraine. Peace can be easily restored, all Russia has to do is withdraw its troops."

The Kremlin continues to justify its actions in Ukraine by claiming that the country is overrun by neo-Nazis, while occupying nearly 20 percent of Ukrainian territory.

(jh/gs)

Source: PAP