German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is ready to negotiate with Russian President Vladimir Putin, but only if he withdraws his troops from the territory of Ukraine. Olaf Scholz said this in an interview with the Heilbronner Stimme newspaper.

He emphasized that Russia's aggression against Ukraine is "the return of imperialism to Europe."

"Putin planned his campaign to conquer the country within two weeks. It did not work. But Ukraine also won back a lot of territory. Russia must be forced to take a step back," Scholz said.

The chancellor also noted that "in the best case scenario, Ukraine will succeed and Putin will not."

Scholz said that he has already held talks with Putin and will do so again in the future, but there is a condition.

"However, negotiations require a decisive step from Russia. This is the withdrawal of troops," the German Chancellor emphasized.