The German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, urged the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, this Friday, in his first phone call in almost two years, to withdraw its forces from Ukraine and start talks with kyiv that open the way to a “just and lasting peace.”
The Kremlin has confirmed the conversation, which it said had taken place at Berlin’s request. Likewise, he stated that Putin conveyed to Scholz that any agreement to end the war in Ukraine must take into account Russian security interests and reflect the “new territorial realities.”
«The chancellor has urged Russia to show its willingness to engage in talks with Ukraine with the aim of achieving a just and lasting peace (…) It has underlined Germany’s unwavering determination to support Ukraine in its defense against Russian aggression for as long as necessary,” said a spokesman for the German government in a statement.
Scholz also reproached Putin that the deployment of North Korean troops to Russia for combat missions against Ukraine was considered “a serious escalation and expansion of the conflict”according to another German government official.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky advised Scholz against making that callconsidering that it would only serve to “reduce the isolation of Putin”, who “does not want real peace, but a breakup”, according to a kyiv source.
It is not clear why Scholz decided to talk to Putin nowbut the call comes amid setbacks for Ukraine on the battlefield and growing concern among kyiv’s Western allies about US President-elect Donald Trump’s plans.
The newly elected American leader has repeatedly criticized the magnitude of financial and military aid from the West to kyiv.
Elections in Germany
To add to the uncertainty, Germany will hold a early elections on February 23, in which Scholz’s Social Democrats face a tough challenge from left-wing and far-right parties that oppose Berlin’s strong support for Ukraine.
«Scholz believes that his communication with Putin would strengthen your hand internallybefore the elections,” Daniel Szeligowski, from the Polish Institute of International Affairs, wrote on social media.
Putin allegedly conveyed to Scholz that he was willing to study energy deals if Germany was interested, the Kremlin has explained. The central European country was heavily dependent on Russian gas before the war, but direct shipments ceased when gas pipelines under the Baltic Sea were blown up in 2022.
Scholz planned to inform Zelensky, Germany’s allies and partners, and the leaders of the European Union and NATO about the outcome of Friday’s call, official sources said. The German and Russian leaders have agreed keep in touchthey added.
“Very positive”, according to Russia
«There were quite detailed discussions, first of all on the Ukrainian issue, frank discussions… But, of course, we cannot talk here about a coincidence of opinions,” Peskov told a Russian state television reporter after the first call between the two leaders in almost two years.
Criticism from Ukraine
For his part, Zelensky has stated that Scholz’s call with Putin has opened “Pandora’s box” by undermining efforts to isolate the Russian leader. «Now there can be other conversations, other calls. Just words. And this is exactly what Putin has wanted for a long time: it is extremely important for him to weaken his isolation,” he said in his evening speech.
The spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Heorhii Tykhyi, has stated along the same lines: «For more than two decades, Putin has used long talks as a resource to promote his interests. Currently, talks only give Putin the hope of weakening international isolation».
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