Russian President Vladimir Putin told German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Friday that the attacks on Ukraine are «a forced and inevitable response» to «provocative attacks» by Kiev on Russian civilian infrastructure, including the bridge connecting the country to the Crimean peninsula.
The Kremlin said in a statement posted on its website that Putin and Scholz had held a conversation «at Germany’s initiative» and confirmed that «a number of issues of the situation around Ukraine were discussed.»
«Putin has again explained in detail Russia’s fundamental position in carrying out the special military operation. The destructive stance of the Western states, including Germany, which deliver to the Kiev regime weapons and train the Ukrainian Army, has been emphasized,» the Kremlin has noted.
In this regard, it stressed that «all this, together with comprehensive political and financial support, leads to Kiev’s complete rejection of the idea of negotiations and stimulates radical Ukrainian nationalists to commit more bloody crimes against the civilian population».
«The President of Russia has asked Germany to reconsider its position in the context of the events in Ukraine,» said the Kremlin, which stressed that «the Russian Armed Forces had long been restrained in carrying out bombardments against certain targets.»
The Russian Presidency has indicated that «in this same context is the terrorist act against the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines, the circumstances of which require a transparent investigation with the participation of specialized Russian structures».
Finally, the Kremlin has noted that Putin and Scholz have addressed the July agreement for the export of grain from Ukrainian ports and called for «unblocking the export of Russian food and fertilizers.» «An integrated implementation of the grain agreement is necessary, which means removing all barriers to Russian supplies,» he has remonstrated.
