Scholz in a phone call with Putin calls for immediate ceasefire in Ukraine

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, in a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, called for an immediate cease-fire in Ukraine and a diplomatic solution to the conflict as soon as possible. Meanwhile, Putin criticized Kyiv for "trying to delay the negotiation process in every way possible, putting forward more unrealistic proposals," the Kremlin said. Putin in the call said that Moscow is ready to search for solutions to the Russia-Ukraine conflict during negotiations with the Ukrainian side.

The Russian leader also told his German counterpart they were doing everything possible to save the lives of civilians. The call lasted just under an hour, reported DW.

Notably, Ukrainian and Russian delegations have held several rounds of negotiations in a bid to broker a solution to the conflict between the two countries. On February 24, Russia began a special military operation in Ukraine after the Donetsk and Luhansk people's republics requested help in defending themselves.The Russian Defense Ministry said the special operation is targeting Ukrainian military infrastructure only and the civilian population is not in danger.The West however denies these claims by the Russians and in response, Western nations have imposed comprehensive sanctions on Moscow. In addition, they introduced sanctions on Belarus for supporting Russia's operation in Ukraine.

( With inputs from ANI )

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