According to a German government source, Germany does not expect tangible outcomes from Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin this week, but intends to obtain insight into what he hopes to achieve with the military build-up on Ukraine’s border.
Scholz is scheduled to travel to Moscow on Tuesday to meet with Putin, following in the footsteps of his French colleague, Emmanuel Macron, as part of a flurry of diplomatic engagements aimed at preventing a new Russian invasion on Ukraine.
Scholz, according to the source, will make it clear to Putin that the Western partners were unified in their position that any attack would result in “painful, significant penalties” against Russia.
“He will also emphasise that we are not only willing to talk, but that we demand de-escalation and the removal of the army build-up that can only be perceived as a threat,” the source added.
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