Russian President Vladimir Putin and the German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Wednesday discussed options for political and diplomatic efforts to settle the Russia-Ukraine war over the phone. According to a statement made by the Kremlin, the leaders spoke about the outcome of the third round of peace talks between the Russian and Ukrainian delegations on Monday. "In addition, special attention was paid to the humanitarian aspects of the situation in Ukraine and in the republics of Donbass,” it read.
Apparently Putin informed Scholz about "measures to organize humanitarian corridors for the evacuation of civilians," according to the statement. The Russian and German leaders agreed to continue contacts at various levels, it added.
Update: Vladimir Putin now talks about "positive shifts" in Russia-Ukraine peace talks:
Russian President Vladimir Putin announced positive shifts in the Russia-Ukraine peace talks at a meeting with his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko in Moscow on Friday. "I will inform you about the situation in Ukraine, first of all about how the talks are going on, which are being held now almost on the daily basis. There are some positive shifts there as the negotiators from our side reported to me, I will tell you all this in detail," Putin said.
He did admit that Russia is experiencing some unexpected problems connected to the new economic sanctions, adding that attempts have always been taken to deter Russia's development, which are now done at a large scale. He remained positive: "I am sure we will go through these difficulties, will get more competencies, more possibilities to feel independent, autonomous. In the end, it will be for the good as it was in previous years," he said.
For his part, Lukashenko claimed that if Russia had not struck "a preemptive strike," Kyiv would have certainly attacked the Russian-Belarusian troops that were holding their military exercises. "They were going not only to attack Donbas, but also took a position to attack Belarus," Lukashenko said. According to Lukashenko foreign mercenaries are still moving along the Belarusian border to the Chernobyl zone to strike the Russian troops in the back, to attack the Russian-Belarusian troops to distract them from the western borders, and to implement some plans in Chernobyl that are still unclear but do not "promise any good".
Lukashenko resented the actions by the Ukrainian military in the Chernobyl zone, saying the destruction of the power lines that are supplying the Chernobyl nuclear power plant could have led to a nuclear catastrophe. He called the Western sanctions "swinish," stressing that they are also "illegitimate" and "unilateral." Lukashenko suggested summoning the members of the Collective Security Organization Treaty to discuss a joint response to Western sanctions for the sense of strengthening cooperation with each other.
Russia’s war on Ukraine, which began on February 24, has drawn international condemnation, led to financial sanctions on Moscow, and spurred an exodus of global firms from Russia. The West has also imposed biting export restrictions on key technologies that are now prohibited from being sent to Russia.
Gerhard Schröder travels to Moscow to meet Putin in Ukraine peace bid:
Former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder traveled to the Russian capital of Moscow to meet Vladimir Putin as part of a mediation effort to end the war in Ukraine, people familiar with the matter told Politico. The meeting between the two ended Thursday evening but details of the discussions weren’t immediately available. Schröder’s wife, Soyeon Schröder-Kim, subsequently posted a photograph of herself in prayer with the Kremlin in the background on Instagram.
Schröder has come under fierce criticism at home and abroad for refusing to remove his close ties to Moscow after Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. Several of his office staff quit last week after he insisted on keeping his senior roles at Kremlin linked energy giants Rosneft and Gazprom.
Sources: https://www.thelocal.de/20220309/putin-and-scholz-discuss-diplomatic-efforts-to-settle-ukraine-conflict/ https://www.aa.com.tr/en/russia-ukraine-war/russia-germany-discuss-diplomatic-efforts-to-settle-war-in-ukraine/2529558 https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/russian-president-says-there-are-positive-shifts-in-russia-ukraine-peace-talks/2532149 https://www.rt.com/russia/551701-putin-lukashenko-belarus-ukraine/ https://www.politico.eu/article/gerhard-schroder-in-moscow-to-meet-putin-in-ukraine-peace-bid-sources/