简体中文
U.S. President Joe Biden and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz discussed the Russia-Ukraine tensions in a phone call Wednesday and exchanged views about "diplomacy, deterrence measures and the reinforcement of NATO's eastern flank" if the tension re-escalated, according to the White House.
Steffen Hebestreit, the German government spokesperson, said the two leaders agreed the situation in Ukraine must be assessed as "extremely serious" as there is still a risk of further Russian military "invasion."
Since the Ukraine-Russia tension escalated, the West and Kiev have been claiming about Russia's potential invasion of Ukraine. Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov castigated these allegations as "empty and unfounded," reiterating that Russia did not pose any threat whatsoever to anyone.
However, Peskov did not rule out the possibility of provocations aimed at justifying such claims and warned that attempts to use military force to resolve the crisis in southeastern Ukraine would have serious consequences.
After the Tuesday's talks with Scholz in Moscow, Putin stressed that Russia doesn't want any war and that is why it came out with an initiative to hold talks on ensuring equal security in Europe.
During the phone call, Biden and Scholz agreed it was important to move towards the implementation of the Minsk peace agreements negotiated by Russia, Ukraine, France and Germany in 2015 and to make progress in the Normandy format with the support of Germany and France, Hebestreit said.
Both the leaders have talked with their Russian and Ukrainian counterparts recently. Scholz made his first official trip to Washington on February 7 and then visited Kyiv and Moscow.
(CGTN)
