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Chancellor Scholz, US President Biden (February 7 at the White House in Washington)
Photo: MICHAEL REYNOLDS/EPA
Chancellor Olaf Scholz and US President Joe Biden continue to see the risk of “Russian military aggression against Ukraine”.
In a telephone call, both agreed that "a significant withdrawal of Russian troops" from the Ukrainian border "has not been observed so far," said government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit.
The situation in the border area with Ukraine should be assessed as "extremely serious" because of the massive increase in Russian troops, it said.
"Utmost vigilance" is required.
NATO and secret services see no Russian troop withdrawal
Moscow announced on Tuesday that it would withdraw some of its troops from the Ukrainian border.
According to information from NATO and several secret services, however, no Russian troop withdrawal from the region has yet been identified.
Meanwhile, NATO is also planning to expand its military presence in Eastern Europe.
(Read more here.)
Biden recently said that a Russian invasion of the neighboring country is still possible.
There are now "more than 150,000" Russian soldiers on the Russian-Ukrainian border.
The US State Department also accused Russia of wanting to create a pretext for an invasion of the neighboring country with unfounded allegations of "genocide" in the eastern Ukrainian region of Donbass.
Russian media recently published articles and photos on alleged mass graves in the region controlled by pro-Russian separatists.
Putin spoke of a "genocide" in this context.
Biden and Scholz pleased with Putin's statements
According to government spokesman Hebestreit, Scholz had also informed Biden about his trips to Kiev and Moscow.
Both welcomed statements by Russian President Vladimir Putin that diplomatic efforts should continue for the time being.
The key to a constructive dialogue on questions of European security and progress in eastern Ukraine also lies in Moscow.
Russia must "take real steps towards de-escalation".
In the event of further military aggression against the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine, Russia would have to reckon with extremely serious consequences, Hebestreit said.
fek/Reuters/dpa/AFP