Scholz urges Putin to take first step towards peace

This is reported by The Guardian.

"He must withdraw troops," Scholz said during a visit to Nuthetal.

However, there are no signs that this will happen, he said in response to a question about whether peace talks are possible.

Scholz believes that Putin should not succeed in his goal of using force to annex part of a neighboring country. Instead, the chancellor reassured Ukraine of Germany's assistance in its defense against Russian invasion for as long as necessary.

• On October 21, Reuters reported that the US intelligence services had handed over a report to 100 countries that Russia was using spies, social media and its state media to undermine public confidence in democratic elections in various countries.