Putin to Schulz: Ukrainian forces are committing war crimes

Moscow (ST): Russian President Vladimir Putin confirmed during a telephone conversation with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz today that Ukrainian forces are committing war crimes and said that “Kiev is obstructing talks with Moscow.”

The Russian presidency said in a statement, “Putin pointed out, during the call, that Ukrainian forces bombed residential neighborhoods in the cities of Donetsk and Makeyivka, which resulted in many casualties, and held the West responsible for ignoring these war crimes.”

According to the statement, Putin stressed that the Russian forces are doing everything they can to save the lives of civilians, especially by opening safe corridors for the exit of citizens from the cities within the combat zone, pointing out that about 43,000 people were evacuated from the Ukrainian city of Mariupol overlooking the Sea of Azov during a humanitarian operation that was done yesterday.

The statement added that Putin also briefed Schulz about his assessments of the ongoing virtual talks between the Russian and Ukrainian negotiating delegations, stressing that the Kiev regime is trying, by all means, to obstruct the negotiating process by putting forward new, unrealistic proposals.

K.Q.