Scholz - Putin (phonecall)

German Chancellor Scholz spoke with Russian President Putin by phone.

Representative of the German Government.
The conversation between Scholz and Putin lasted an hour and a half and was devoted to the situation in Ukraine and its consequences, a representative of the government of Germany said.

Scholz called on Putin to find a diplomatic solution as soon as possible based on a ceasefire, the complete withdrawal of Russian troops and respect for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine;

Scholz stressed to Putin that any further steps by Russia on annexation will not remain unanswered and will not be recognized under any circumstances, and also stated about the need to ensure the safety of the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant.

Putin answered:

The main attention was paid to the situation around Ukraine in the context of Russia's special military operation. Putin drew attention to the blatant violations of international humanitarian law by the Ukrainian side, the incessant shelling of the cities of Donbass, as a result of which civilians are killed and civilian infrastructure is deliberately damaged.
The issues of ensuring the safety of the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant were discussed. The Russian President spoke in detail about the measures taken in coordination with the IAEA to ensure the physical protection of the NPP, which is subjected to constant missile strikes from Ukraine, which creates real risks of a large-scale catastrophe.
During the exchange of views on the implementation of the "grain deal", Putin stressed its package nature, explained the essence of concerns about the unbalanced geography of Ukrainian grain supplies by sea, only a small part of which goes to the most needy countries. At the same time, there is no progress in removing obstacles to the export of Russian products and fertilizers.
The readiness of the Russian side to supply large volumes of grain to foreign markets has been confirmed, as well as to transfer fertilizers blocked in European ports to countries in need for free.
Answering the Chancellor's question, Putin noted that the Russian side provides the International Committee of the Red Cross with access to prisoners of war, while Kiev does not.
Describing the current situation in the European energy sector, Putin stressed that Russia has been and remains a reliable supplier of energy resources, fulfilling all its contractual obligations, and interruptions, for example, in the operation of the Nord Stream-1 gas pipeline, are caused by anti-Russian sanctions that prevent its maintenance.
Given the authorities of the respective countries blocking gas supplies via routes through Ukraine and Poland and the refusal to put Nord Stream-2 into operation, attempts to shift the blame for the problems in Europe's energy supply to Russia look very cynical.