In phone call, Scholz discussed Ukraine, energy, grain deal with Putin
In a phone call between the German Chancellor and Russian President, the latter was urged to completely withdraw his troops from Ukraine.
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The Sierra Leone-flagged cargo ship Razoni sails under Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge after being inspected by Russian, Ukrainian, Turkish and U.N. officials at the entrance of the Bosphorus Strait in Istanbul, Turkey, Wednesday, Aug. 3, 2022 (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel, File)
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Russian President Vladimir Putin held a phone call on Tuesday during which Scholz called on Putin to withdraw his troops from Ukraine, as a counter-offensive by Kiev's forces made advances after Russian forces' withdrawal.
In the 90-minute telephone call, Scholz urged Putin to "come to a diplomatic solution as quickly as possible, based on a ceasefire, a complete withdrawal of Russian forces and respect for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine", as per the chancellor's spokesman Steffen Hebestreit.
Read: Ukraine lost over 1,700 soldiers in 48 hours: Russia MoD
Scholz also asked Putin to stick to the deal on grain exports from Ukraine which Russia has repeatedly criticized for the lack of grain deliveries to developed countries.
Scholz told Putin "not to discredit and continue to fully implement" the grain deal in light of the stretched global food supply, the chancellor's spokesman Steffen Hebestreit said.
In response, Putin said that Ukraine is violating international humanitarian law, adding that the shelling of Donbass continues, the Kremlin said.
"Vladimir Putin, in particular, drew the attention of the federal chancellor to the blatant violations of international humanitarian law by the Ukrainian side, the never-ending shelling of the cities of Donbas, as a result of which civilians are killed and civilian infrastructure is deliberately damaged," the Kremlin said in a statement.
"At the same time, there is no progress in removing obstacles to the export of Russian products and fertilizers," the Kremlin quoted Putin in a statement.
The Kremlin statement added: "Describing the current situation in the European energy sector, Vladimir Putin stressed that Russia has been and remains a reliable supplier of energy resources, fulfilling all its contractual obligations, while interruptions, for example, in the operation of the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline, are caused by sanctions against Russia that prevent its technical service."
Regarding exports of Ukrainian grain, President Putin raised concerns "over the unbalanced geography of sea deliveries of Ukrainian grain, only a small part of which goes to the poorest countries," the Kremlin said.
Putin reportedly added that Russia is prepared to give underprivileged nations free fertilizer transfers and large-scale grain exports that are currently prohibited in Europe.
Read: Amnesty International: Ukraine violated international humanitarian law
White House Strategic Communications Coordinator John Kirby said on Thursday that the US sees no signs that the grain deal between Russia, Turkey, Ukraine, and the UN is falling apart.
On July 22, Russia, Ukraine, and Turkey signed the grain deal to provide a humanitarian maritime corridor for ships to carry food and fertilizers from the Black Sea ports. Three key Ukrainian ports — Odessa, Chornomorsk, and Yuzhne — were unblocked to resume exports.
Since the agreement has been put into effect, Ukraine has shipped one million tonnes of foodstuff from its three Black Sea ports under the UN-backed grain deal, according to Ukrainian media outlets.
