Germany's Scholz says he plans to speak to Putin soon
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Saturday he planned to speak to Russian President Vladimir Putin on the phone soon to urge him to withdraw Russia's troops from Ukraine, Reuters reported.
Addressing a convention of the German Protestant church in Nuremberg, Scholz said he had spoken to Putin by telephone in the past.
"I plan to do it again soon," he said.
"It's not reasonable to force Ukraine to approve and accept the raid that Putin has perpetrated and that parts of Ukraine become Russian just like that," Scholz added, saying he would work to ensure that NATO does not get drawn into the war.
Moscow and Kyiv both reported heavy fighting in Ukraine on Friday, but it remained uncertain whether Ukraine's long-anticipated counterattack was under way.