– Now there may be more calls, more telephone calls. Just a lot of words. And this is exactly what Putin has long wanted. It is extremely important for him to become less isolated, Zelenskyy said in a speech on Friday.
Earlier in the day, Scholz spoke with the Russian president by phone. This was the first conversation between the two since 2022.
In a statement, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said talks with Putin only give him hope of becoming less isolated internationally.
Condemned the war in Ukraine
The expression “Pandora’s box”, which Zelenskyj uses, originates from Greek mythology. The box, or jar, allegedly contained all the world’s misfortunes, which escaped if the lid was opened.
A spokesperson for Scholz says that in the conversation with Putin, the prime minister condemned Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine. He asked the Russian president to end the war and withdraw his forces.
Scholz also said that Russia must be willing to negotiate with Ukraine in order to establish a just and lasting peace. He emphasized Germany’s unwavering support for Ukraine, according to the spokesperson.
The German prime minister spoke with Zelenskyj before he spoke with Putin. The plan was to then have another conversation with Zelenskyj.
Russia made peace treaty demands
The Kremlin confirms the conversation between the two heads of state, and says in a statement that Putin and Scholz had an “honest” exchange of thoughts and ideas.
According to the Kremlin, Putin said he was open to discussing a peace deal, while repeating several demands.
– A possible agreement must take into account Russia’s security interests and be based on a new territorial reality, writes the Kremlin.
Russia has long claimed four Ukrainian counties and demanded that Ukraine withdraw its forces from these areas. Russia claims to have annexed the Ukrainian counties of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhya, despite not having full control over any of them.
Spoke with Putin in 2022
The last time Scholz and Putin spoke was in December 2022, eight months after Russia invaded Ukraine with large forces. Then Scholz called for a diplomatic solution to the war and the withdrawal of Russian forces from Ukraine. This was also the previous known conversation between Putin and a leader of a Western country.
In October, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said that Putin was not willing to talk to Scholz about finding peace solutions in Ukraine. She criticized him for turning down offers of talks. Scholz has said several times recently that he is willing to discuss with Putin how the war in Ukraine can end.
– We have to see if there are ways to find out if this war will last forever or if we can find ways to end it, Scholz said on Sunday.
Third winter
The US and the EU imposed extensive sanctions on Russia in the wake of the 2022 invasion, but within NATO, Putin remains in contact with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The conversation between Scholz and Putin takes place at a critical time in Russia’s war of invasion in Ukraine. Ukrainian forces are under increasing pressure as the war enters its third winter.
Germany has been one of Ukraine’s biggest supporters, second only to the United States. But after the US presidential election ended with a victory for Donald Trump, who has criticized the aid Ukraine receives, it is uncertain whether the US will be as supportive of the support.
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