FRANKFURT, June 10 — German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said today he planned to speak to Russian President Vladimir Putin on the phone soon to urge him to withdraw Russia’s troops from Ukraine.

Addressing a convention of the German Protestant church in Nuremberg, Scholz said he had spoken to Putin by telephone in the past.

"I plan to do it again soon,” he said.

"It’s not reasonable to force Ukraine to approve and accept the raid that Putin has perpetrated and that parts of Ukraine become Russian just like that,” Scholz added, saying he would work to ensure that Nato does not get drawn into the war.

Moscow and Kyiv both reported heavy fighting in Ukraine yesterday, but it remained uncertain whether Ukraine’s long-anticipated counterattack was under way.

The counteroffensive aimed at penetrating Russian defences and driving out occupying forces is ultimately expected to involve thousands of Ukrainian troops trained and equipped by Western countries including Germany.

Russia fired missiles and drones at targets across Ukraine in the early hours of today, killing three civilians in the Black Sea city of Odesa and striking a military air field in the central Poltava region, Kyiv authorities said. — Reuters