The German government has confirmed that Olaf Scholz and Vladimir Putin have had their first phone call in nearly two years. The German Chancellor and the Russian President spoke for an hour this afternoon, the last time since December 2022.
Scholz reportedly urged the Kremlin chief to withdraw troops from Ukraine and to negotiate with Kiev with the aim of "a just and lasting peace." He then stressed Germany's determination to support Ukraine in its defense against Russian aggression for as long as necessary.
Putin responded that a possible agreement to end the conflict in Ukraine must "be based on new territorial realities." "Russia's proposals are well known and were outlined, in particular, in a speech to the Russian Foreign Ministry in June," the Kremlin said, recalling a speech in which Putin set as conditions for a ceasefire the withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from four regions partially occupied by Russia and a commitment not to join NATO .
The two later agreed to "maintain communications," according to Russian news agency Tass.
Before speaking to the Russian leader, Scholz met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who would have been strongly opposed to such an overture. His phone call to Putin, he said, would help “the Russian president reduce his isolation and ultimately continue the war in Ukraine.”
(Unioneonline/D)
