Scholz, Biden agree to not acknowledge Russian territorial gains

FILE PHOTO: German Chancellor Olaf Scholz speaks during a news conference with Kosovo's Prime Minister Albin Kurti in Berlin, Germany May 4, 2022. REUTERS/Hannibal Hanschke

BERLIN (Reuters) - German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and U.S. President Joe Biden agreed in a call on Thursday they would not recognize any Russian territorial gains in Ukraine, a German government spokesperson said in a statement.

The two leaders also denounced "recent comments of the Russian leadership seeking to discredit the democratically legitimized Ukrainian leadership," the spokesperson said.