Putin In Conversation With Scholz Calls Ukraine's Proposals At Talks Unrealistic

Russian President Vladimir Putin, in a conversation with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, called Ukraine's proposals at the talks unrealistic.

Ukrainian News Agency learned this from a statement posted on the website of the President of Russia.

"Vladimir Putin also outlined his assessments of the course of the ongoing negotiations between Russian and Ukrainian representatives in a video format. It was noted that the Kyiv regime is trying in every possible way to delay the negotiation process, putting forward more and more unrealistic proposals. Nevertheless, the Russian side is ready to continue the search for solutions in line with its well-known principled approaches," the statement says.

The statement notes that the telephone conversation took place on the initiative of the German side.

Putin, as in all international telephone conversations, calls for attention to the alleged missile attacks by Ukrainian security forces on residential areas of Donetsk and Makiivka, which led to heavy casualties, and complains that the West is ignoring these "war crimes."

At the same time, Putin assures his interlocutors that the Russian Armed Forces are doing everything possible to save the lives of civilians, including by organizing safe corridors for the population to leave the cities in the war zone.

So, according to him, on March 17, as a result of the humanitarian operation in Mariupol, about 43,000 people were evacuated.

At the same time, a report on the German government website about Scholz's conversation with Putin reported that Scholz called Putin on Friday morning, the almost hour-long conversation focused on the ongoing war in Ukraine and efforts to end it.

The Chancellor urged the Russian President for an early ceasefire, improvement of the humanitarian situation and progress in finding a diplomatic solution to the conflict.

As Ukrainian News Agency reported, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the end of the war, guarantees of Ukraine's security, and restoration of territorial integrity the priorities in negotiations with Russia.

Ukraine in negotiations with Russia insists on signing a peace treaty with legal obligations of the guarantor countries.