Nuremberg, 10 June 2023 (dpa/MIA) - German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said he intends to maintain contact with Russian President Vladimir Putin and speak to him "soon."

Scholz noted that he spoke to Putin shortly after the Kremlin leader gave the order 15 months ago to launch a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

"I intend to do so again soon," he said on Saturday at the 38th German Protestant Church Congress in the southern city of Nuremberg.

A prerequisite for a "fair peace" is that Russia withdraws its troops, Scholz continued. "That is what needs to be understood."

Occasional yells of "negotiate" arose in the audience.

Scholz responded by shouting: "Negotiating is okay. The question is: who negotiates with whom and about what."

Scholz had earlier outlined the principles of Berlin's stance toward the war and said the conflict must be prevented from escalating.

"It was and is right that we act in a coordinated manner in everything we do. That we consider every step and that we do not go it alone. We have been committed to this principle from the very beginning."

Borders in Europe should not be moved by force, he told the audience.

Photo: EPA