Russian President Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz talked for more than three hours in Moscow. The main topic, as expected, was the situation around Ukraine. Scholz answered the question of whether Kiev is going to comply with the Minsk agreements, and NATO is going to expand further, and joked about Putin's irremovability as president. Putin, for his part, explained what Russia considers the main threat from the West and pointed out that postponing Ukraine's entry into NATO would not change anything. Details of the meeting are in the review

About NATO expansion

Scholz stressed at a press conference after the talks that NATO is not going to expand further in the near future.

“Expansion is not planned, it is not discussed, it is not on the agenda. We will not have to deal with this topic as long as we are each at our post. I think it may be long, but not forever,” the chancellor joked.

However, Putin noted that Russia, in the historical perspective, does not like this position either. Moscow wants to be sure that Ukraine will not be accepted into NATO in principle.

“The issue of Ukraine's accession to NATO is being discussed. They say, like you said, it won't be tomorrow. And when? Day after tomorrow? What does this change for us? In a historical perspective. Absolutely nothing,” the Russian leader explained.

He recalled that Russia "has been told for 30 years that there will be no NATO expansion at all, not one inch towards the Russian borders." But in the end, the president pointed out, “today we see NATO infrastructure right at our doorstep.”

Therefore, Moscow insists that this issue be finally resolved now. Putin expressed the hope that the Western partners will understand Russia's position and take seriously what worries her.

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On what Russia considers a threat

Putin said that he sees an attempt to "force containment" of Russia by the West. In his opinion, this can be perceived as a threat to the national security of the country.

“Forcible containment of Russia is perceived by us as a direct and immediate threat to national security, which is exactly what legal agreements are called upon to remove on the basis of the drafts [agreements on security guarantees] submitted by us,” he said.

The President stressed that Russia does not want war in Europe. “That is why we put forward proposals for a negotiation process, the result of which should be an agreement on ensuring equal security for everyone, including our country,” Putin summed up.

The German Chancellor, in turn, believes that the most severe and threatening crisis in recent decades is unfolding in Europe. He added that all the possibilities for a diplomatic settlement have not yet been exhausted. The chancellor noted that Germany, together with partners in the EU and NATO, "will talk with Russia about concrete steps to strengthen common security." Scholz also called the withdrawal of the Russian military after the exercises a good sign.

As for the question of whether Kiev is going to fulfill the Minsk agreements regarding the Donbass, Scholz assured that the agreements would be implemented. “Everyone must adhere to them [the agreements]," the chancellor replied to the question of whether Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky would implement the Minsk agreements.

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About Donbass

After the meeting with Putin, Scholz said that if Russia recognizes the self-proclaimed republics of the DPR and LPR, it would be a political disaster. The State Duma at a meeting on Tuesday earlier voted to immediately send an appeal to the President of the Russian Federation on the need to recognize parts of the Donbass that are not controlled by Kiev.

“If this becomes a reality, of course, this will mean a violation of the Minsk agreements. This will mean that the process will be interrupted and it will be a political disaster,” Scholz said.

Putin, in turn, said that the decision of the State Duma about the DPR and LPR reflects the will of the Russians. “In this regard, it is quite obvious that in our country the vast majority of people sympathize with the residents of Donbass, support them and hope that the situation there will radically change for the better for them,” Putin said.

The President also believes that what is happening now in the Donbass can be assessed as genocide.

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Problems with RT and Deutsche Welle broadcasting

According to Putin, they also discussed problems with RT DE broadcasting in Germany and Deutsche Welle in Russia with the Chancellor. In early February, the German Licensing and Supervision Commission banned RT DE from broadcasting in the country. In response, Russia demanded to close the Deutsche Welle office in Moscow.

“I would not like to go into details now so as not to complicate the situation, but we agreed that we would think about how we can solve these problems,” the Russian president said.

Scholz, for his part, expressed the hope that Deutsche Welle would be able to continue its journalistic activities in Russia.

bbabo.Net