German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said his conversation with Vladimir Putin on Friday indicated no change in the Russian president’s thinking on the war in Ukraine, but defended his much-criticized decision to call the Kremlin.
The hour-long call between Scholz and Putin, the first direct communication between them in almost two years, comes three months before early elections in Germany, in which the unpopular chancellor faces a major challenge from populists on the left and right who are demanding a resumption. of diplomacy.
Critics, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, said the talk was a breakdown of Western solidarity for domestic political advantage.
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“It was important to tell him (Putin) that he cannot count on the support of Germany, Europe and many other countries in the world,” Scholz told reporters.
“The conversation was very detailed, but it contributed to the recognition that little has changed in the Russian president’s view of the war — and that is not good news.”
The call comes amid signs of growing contact between Western-aligned leaders and the Kremlin, even as Russia makes small but steady advances on the battlefield in eastern Ukraine.
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Donald Trump, now re-elected as President of the United States, has said he can bring a quick end to the war and named to his cabinet some security figures seen as more favorable to Moscow than their predecessors.
This has implications for Europe, Scholz said.
“In my opinion, it would not be a good idea if there were talks between the presidents of the US and Russia and the leader of a major European country was not doing the same,” he said.
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