Sharjah24 – AFP: German Chancellor Olaf Scholz will visit Kyiv and Moscow on February 14 and 15 to discuss the crisis on the Ukraine-Russia border, as tensions soar between Russia and the West.
It will be Scholz's first visit to both countries since he replaced Angela Merkel as chancellor in December, and comes amid criticism that he has kept a low profile so far in diplomatic efforts to avoid a war in Ukraine.
Scholz will first visit Kyiv before travelling on to Moscow the following day for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Scholz will also host talks in Berlin next Thursday with the leaders of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, to discuss the concerns of the ex-Soviet Baltic states in the Ukraine-Russia crisis.
Russia has amassed tens of thousands of troops on the Ukrainian border, raising fears of an invasion.
Russia denies it plans to invade but has demanded wide-ranging security guarantees from the West, including that Ukraine never be allowed to join NATO.
Scholz on Wednesday stressed the importance of a "coordinated policy with regard to the EU and NATO" on the crisis.
The chancellor defended Germany's refusal to send weapons to Ukraine and reiterated that Russia would pay a "very high price" in the event of an invasion.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that Putin and Scholz will hold "substantial" bilateral talks when they meet face-to-face on February 15.
Scholz and Putin are also set to discuss the controversial Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline from Russia to Germany, among a host of other controversial issues.
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