Scholz welcomed Trump's plans to meet with Putin

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on January 12 welcomed U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's plans to meet with Russian leader Vladimir Putin.

Scholz noted that a majority of German citizens felt that his phone conversation with the Russian president last November and plans to contact him again were correct.

"In this respect, it's not bad news if the American and Russian presidents also want to meet," the German chancellor said on ARD television.

At the same time, Scholz expressed confidence that the time will come for real discussions on the settlement of the conflict in Ukraine, "Gazeta.Ru" specifies.

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Earlier in the day, the newspaper Le Temps with reference to the head of information service of the Swiss Foreign Ministry, Nicolas Bidot, reported that Switzerland is ready to organize a meeting between Putin and Trump, if they ask for it.

Trump announcedthe preparation of a meeting with the Russian president on January 9 at his residence in Mar-a-Lago (Florida) before meeting with governors. The American leader-elect added that he plans to hold all meetings after the inauguration on January 20.

Later, on January 10, First Deputy Chairman of the State Duma's Foreign Affairs Committee Alexei Chepa called the possible meeting between Putin and Trump significant. According to the deputy, Russia would like the United States to change its views on the security of Russia, Europe and the future of NATO.

In turn, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on January 10 that Russia does not have certain conditions for negotiations with the United States.

The special operation to protect Donbass, the start of which Putin announced on February 24, 2022, continues. The decision was taken against the backdrop of the worsening situation in the region.