At a distance of six meters, Scholz and Putin are talking about the worst crisis in Europe in decades. It’s about war or peace. In the end, however, the conversation ended faster than expected.
At a long, white, oval table in the Kremlin, Russian President Vladimir Putin keeps German Chancellor Olaf Scholz at a distance during their first major crisis talks.
Six meters lie between the 69-year-old Putin and the 63-year-old Scholz at their first personal meeting in gloomy times of crisis. Because the German guest refuses to take a Russian PCR test, the Kremlin decides to take this precautionary measure. Because of Corona. So no handshake.
According to the Kremlin, the length and depth of the meeting in Putin’s living room of world politics – the magnificent oval hall of the Senate Palace – shouldn’t affect the length and depth of the meeting. In the end, however, Scholz has just had a three-hour conversation with Putin. That’s half the time that French President Emmanuel Macon recently discussed with the Kremlin boss.
But the otherwise quiet Scholz does not let Putin, who is known for his sharp-tongued quick-wittedness, take the butter off his bread. When Putin once again accuses NATO of hostility and uses the bombing of Belgrade as an example, Scholz drives into his parade – and says that at the end of the Kosovo conflict, genocide could have been prevented. Putin then claims that there is a “genocide” in eastern Ukraine today. A genocide in the Donbass? Scholz leaves this unsupported assertion unchallenged – and promptly receives criticism for it on social networks.
Rather, the chancellor made it clear once again – as he did the day before during talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy – that Moscow’s rejection of Kiev’s admission to NATO is not on the agenda at all. Putin counters who guarantees him that. He wants this question to be decided – quickly and in the interests of Russia. He is not interested in the fact that NATO relies on the free choice of alliances. Putin insists that Ukraine’s security cannot be at the expense of Russia’s. But he also doesn’t say how Ukraine should protect itself otherwise.
The Chancellor and the head of the Kremlin nevertheless agree that the only way out of the crisis surrounding Russia’s demands for security guarantees is through dialogue, diplomacy and negotiations. Not about a war.
Relaxation in sight?
On the day of the Chancellor’s visit to the sunny Russian capital, for the first time there was something like a sign of easing in the conflict over Ukraine. The Russian military reports that the first soldiers and combat equipment from the west and south will be returned to the barracks after the maneuvers have been completed. The news spread like lightning as the US kept warning that Putin’s troops could invade Ukraine at any moment.
According to the Kremlin, Putin made fun of this “false news” from the USA and only asked whether the time when the war began had been communicated, as his spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. The Kremlin accuses the West of “scaremongering” and “anti-Russian hysteria”. Of course, Russia doesn’t want war, Putin now emphasizes when meeting with Scholz.
The President has hinted that the withdrawal of troops from the Ukrainian border is now perfectly possible without reducing the pressure on the government in Kiev. At the same time as the partial troop withdrawal, the Russian parliament passed a request to Putin to recognize the self-proclaimed People’s Republics of Luhansk and Donetsk in eastern Ukraine as independent. At the meeting with Scholz, Putin leaves it open how he will decide. But he says before that this is the wish of the Russian people.
No concrete results
Ukraine’s warnings to really go through with it follow promptly. But at least there is no war for the time being, but also no peace. The tensions remain.
Scholz, who came to promote de-escalation in what is probably the most serious crisis since the end of the Cold War 30 years ago, returns to Berlin without any tangible results. There is a “difficult situation” for peace and security in Europe, he says. “The most important thing is that we solve the relations between the states through good discussions with each other.” The chancellor prepared himself intensively for the talks, spoke to several experts – not just German ones – and read a book about Putin.
Scholz also points to the importance of good economic relations with Russia. Against the background of German-Russian history, it is “good that we have very orderly economic relations,” he emphasizes. And he recalls the troubled history of both countries as he lays a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier before his meeting with Putin, accompanied by military honors. For German state guests, remembering the victims of World War II and the victory of the Soviet Union over Germany under dictator Adolf Hitler is a must in Moscow.
Scholz, like Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock recently, does not avoid the many problems between Berlin and Moscow. Scholz recalls the Kremlin opponent Alexej Navalny, who was imprisoned in the penal camp, and whose release the federal government is also demanding. A new controversial criminal case against the Putin opponent begins during the Scholz visit. Scholz is also concerned about the action taken against the human rights organization Memorial and against Deutsche Welle. The foreign broadcaster of the Federal Republic of Germany and its journalists are no longer allowed to work in Russia.
And Scholz regrets that the St. Petersburg dialogue that was brought into being with Putin under former Chancellor Gerhard Schröder has now frozen. The name of the SPD politician Schröder was mentioned at the press conference when Putin praised him for having achieved a lot for his country and also made a contribution to Europe’s gas supply. Scholz once again stands up and says that Schröder, who is controversial as a Russian energy lobbyist, is now active in the private sector. “He does not speak for the Federal Republic of Germany, but for himself.”