German Chancellor Olaf Scholz condemned remarks by President Vladimir Putin that Russia could recognise two Kremlin-backed breakaway Ukrainian regions as independent, his office said on Monday.
Scholz's office said in a statement the German chancellor also told Putin during a phone call that any such move would amount to a "one-sided breach" of the Minsk agreements designed to end a separatist conflict in eastern Ukraine.
Scholz also urged Putin to pull Russian troops from Ukraine's border and deescalate the situation in eastern Ukraine. His office said he would consult with Ukrainian and French leaders about the situation in Ukraine.
(Reporting by Joseph Nasr; Editing by Andrew Heavens)
