ST PETERSBURG, Russia (Reuters) -Russian President Vladimir Putin made the following comments to senior news agency editors on the conflict between Iran and Israel and on whether he would be willing to speak to German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. ASKED ABOUT ISRAELI REMARKS ABOUT POSSIBLE REGIME CHANGE IN IRAN:

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that he was ready to talk with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, but he doubted that Germany could be an intermediary in talks with Ukraine.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Monday rejected the possibility of Russian President Vladimir Putin acting as a mediator in the conflict between Israel and Iran. "Personally, I don't see the Russian president playing a mediating role in this conflict,