German Chancellor Olaf Scholz began face-to-face talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday, as all sides involved in the Ukraine crisis waited to see whether Russian announcements of a withdrawal of troops from near the Ukrainian border would be reflected on the ground. Peace and security in Europe was facing a “difficult situation,” Scholz said as the talks – the latest in a diplomatic barrage aimed at averting conflict in Ukraine – kicked off in the Kremlin. “The most important thing is that we manage relations between countries through good discussions with each other,” he said…