Russia rejects pullout from Ukraine as condition for talks

Russia said on Friday that Western demands stating it should pull out completely from Ukraine effectively rule out any future talks to end the war.

The Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov reiterated that Russian President Vladimir Putin remains open to talks but the West’s input has been “unacceptable”.

Peskov’s comments came as Putin spoke on the phone Friday morning with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

Scholz’s office said he made clear to Putin “that there must be a diplomatic solution as quickly as possible, which includes a withdrawal of Russian troops”.

On Thursday, US President Joe Biden also indicated he would be willing to talk with Putin if he demonstrated a serious want to end the war in Ukraine.

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