Focus Shifts to Putin-Scholz Meeting for Initial Comments From the West

LOCAL NEWS

• Putin to Meet with Germany’s Scholz today to discuss Ukraine. Sholz has said that he will argue that the West remains open to dialogue but will defend Ukraine’s territorial sovereignty and impose sanctions if need be
• White House says no plans yet for Biden’s visit to Ukraine, noting that the focus right now is to continue conversations at the staff level to make sure the door to diplomacy remains open. This comes after an invitation from Zelensky, saying a visit would be a strong signal to ease tensions – Tass
• State Duma to consider two competing appeals to recognize the self-proclaimed republics in Ukraine today in preferential voting.
  • The first version will be sent directly to the president if passed, while the second will be reviewed by the foreign ministry before passing to the President.
• Duma Speaker Volodin says this is a crucial issue as it risks the lives of LPR & DPR citizens with tensions inflamed with the West - Tass
• EU Politics professor says the bloc will not impose preventative sanctions on Russia RE Ukraine as many countries advocate a more balanced approach towards Russia in favour of reducing sanctions.
  • Says Italy, Spain, Hungary, Greece, Cyprus and Germany are mostly against punitive sanctions and these positions have roughly not changed since 2014 – Especially where disconnection from SWIFT is concerned because EU countries are not ready for this - Tass