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Vladimir Putin seems to believe he did not make a mistake in launching an invasion of Ukraine, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Wednesday after a 90-minute telephone conversation with the Russian president.
“Unfortunately, I cannot tell you that the impression has grown that it was a mistake to start this war,” Scholz told reporters a day after his exchange with Putin.
“And there was no indication that new positions are emerging,” the German leader added at a joint press conference with his Georgian counterpart, Irakli Garibashvili.
In Tuesday’s call to the Russian leader, Scholz urged Putin to seek a diplomatic solution “based on a ceasefire, a complete withdrawal of Russian forces and respect for Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty”.
The exit of Russian troops from Ukraine was the only way for “peace to have a chance in the region”, Scholz said on Wednesday.
Prospects for peace ‘minimal’
Although Putin’s views did not appear to have changed, the German chancellor said it was necessary to remain in dialogue with the Russian leader.
“It’s right to talk to each other and say what there is to say about this topic,” Scholz said.
In another phone call with Putin on Wednesday, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the two talked about efforts to overcome “obstacles” that remain related to Russia’s food and fertilizer exports.
But the prospects for peace in Ukraine are “minimal” at the moment, the UN chief lamented after the call, warning that it would be “naive” to believe that sufficient progress has been made towards a quick end to the war.
“I have the feeling that we are still a long way from peace. I would be lying if I said it could happen soon,” Guterres said at a press conference.
“I have no illusions; at present the chances of a peace deal are minimal,” he added, noting that even a ceasefire “is not in sight”.
Despite his gloomy assessment of the war that has raged since Russia invaded its neighbor in late February, Guterres stressed that he maintained contact with both sides and expressed hope that “one day it will be possible to go to a higher level of discussion”.
Meanwhile, negotiations continue on an export agreement “and its extension and its possible expansion”.
A two-part deal – allowing both the flow of Ukraine’s grain exports blocked by the war and Russia’s food and fertilizer exports – was brokered by the UN and Turkey in July and is scheduled to last 120 days.
Guterres said there is discussion about the possibility of Russian ammonia exports through the Black Sea.
Ammonia, an important fertilizer ingredient, is made by combining nitrogen from the air with hydrogen derived from natural gas.
Several European fertilizer producers have stopped producing ammonia due to skyrocketing gas prices.
Guterres warned that the fertilizer crisis has reached a “dramatic” level, echoing his fears of a global food shortage next year.
He said he also spoke with Putin about prisoners of war and the state of Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.
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