BERLIN: German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Wednesday he urged Vladimir Putin to end Moscow's war on Ukraine and withdraw all troops from the country, in the first G20 video call the Russian president participated in since the conflict.
"I called on President Putin to end his attack on Ukraine and withdraw troops from Ukraine's territory, so that this war can finally end," Scholz told journalists at a press conference in Berlin alongside Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
Putin's virtual presence at the G20 summit was "easy" because he did not have to leave Moscow, said Meloni, who also participated in the virtual meeting.
Meloni welcomed Putin's offer to work towards peace in Ukraine but added "we must not forget that in Ukraine there is an aggressor and a (party that was) attacked."
"It is simply enough for Russia to withdraw its troops from the invaded territory."
Putin did not travel to the last two G20 summits – hosted by India in this September and in Indonesia last year, sending Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in his place.
Putin has taken few trips outside Russia since the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for the Russian leader over the unlawful deportation of Ukrainian children.
The G20 comprises 19 of the world's largest economies plus the European Union and the African Union. — AFP