German Chancellor Olaf Scholz arrived in Moscow on Tuesday for talks with the Russian president on de-escalating tensions on the Russian-Ukrainian border, but refused to undergo a PCR test before the meeting.
Instead of the Russian test, Soltz decided to have a doctor from the German embassy do a PCR test, which is a prerequisite for entering the Kremlin for a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, sources from the German delegation said. French President Emmanuel Macron last Sunday also refused to undergo a Russian PCR test before meeting Putin.
The conversations between Macron and Putin were therefore held at a six-meter long table in order to maintain a drastic physical distance. At the press conference after the meeting, Puti and Macron stood a few meters apart.
Scholz is the last in the series to refuse the Russian test
Scholz is the latest in a series of Western heads of state and government involved in a strong diplomatic offensive to prevent war, and the mission is sensitive because Germany is Russia's largest trading partner in Europe. The meeting in the Kremlin is expected to last several hours, and at the end a joint press conference will be held, reports HINA.
The visit comes at a time when German-Russian relations are at their lowest ebb. The Ukrainian crisis is likely to overshadow several unresolved bilateral conflicts between Berlin and Moscow.
Soltz said during his visit to Kiev on Monday that he wants to lobby Putin to calm the crisis in Ukraine. He described the build-up of tens of thousands of Russian troops along the Ukrainian border as "incomprehensible". He also warned Russia not to launch an attack on Ukraine and stressed that the EU and the US are ready to respond with harsh economic sanctions.
Bonus video:
