Polish President Andrzej Duda.Credit:AP
Duda,in an interview withBild first released on its YouTube channel late on Wednesday (Thursday AEST),said such discussions only legitimised an illegal war in Ukraine.
“Did anyone speak like this with Adolf Hitler during World War II?” Duda said. “Did anyone say that Adolf Hitler must save face? That we should proceed in such a way that it is not humiliating for Adolf Hitler? I have not heard such voices.”
The conflict in Ukraine,described by Moscow as a “special military operation” to stamp out perceived threats to its security,has flattened cities,killed thousands of civilians and forced more than 7 million people to flee the country.
Ukraine and its Western allies say Russia is waging an unprovoked war to grab territory.
In a joint call with Putin on May 28,Scholz and Macron urged him to release the 2500 Ukrainian fighters captured at Mariupol’s Azovstal steel plant and to speak directly with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky,according to Macron’s office.
Soldiers manoeuvre a tank near Sloviansk,eastern Ukraine,on June 08.Credit:Getty Images
Italy and Hungary have urged the European Union to call explicitly for a ceasefire in Ukraine and peace talks with Russia,putting themselves at odds with other member states like Poland determined to take a hard line with Moscow