Ukraine rejects any dialogue with Russia before withdrawal and ceasefire

Ukraine rejected on Wednesday statements by former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder that Russia wanted a "negotiated solution" to the war and said any dialogue would be conditioned on a ceasefire and the withdrawal of Russian forces.

Schroeder, a friend of Russian President Vladimir Putin who has come under increasing criticism in Germany for his pro-Russia stance, said an agreement reached last month on resuming grain shipments from Ukraine aimed at easing the global food crisis could provide a way forward toward halting the war.

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