Russia’s defense ministry said on Sunday that its armed forced had seized the town of Novohrodivka in Ukraine, drawing nearer to the strategically important settlement of Pokrovsk. The military action comes as German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called for renewed peace negotiations between the two sides. Speaking to broadcaster ZDF, Scholz said he had talked with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and that they had both agreed on the need for a new peace conference that would also include Russia. The captured settlement is in the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine, the center of intense fighting as Kyiv’s forces are defending against…