German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is ready to engage with Russian President Vladimir Putin again, despite frustrations from their mid-November phone call.
This was reported by Die Zeit on December 12.
"I will do it again. But we must not have any illusions about it," Scholz said, referring to Putin’s repetitive rhetoric during their last conversation. Scholz had condemned Russia’s war against Ukraine and urged Putin to withdraw troops and negotiate a "just and lasting peace."
The November call drew criticism, including from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who warned it could encourage other European leaders to seek direct talks with Putin.
Zelensky described such conversations as opening a "Pandora’s box" and cautioned against legitimizing the Russian leader.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, seen as one of the most Kremlin-friendly European leaders, also spoke with Putin on December 11, drawing similar criticism from Kyiv.
Scholz’s willingness to engage comes shortly after his first visit to Kyiv in over two years, where he pledged $680 million in military aid to Ukraine. The chancellor faces mounting political pressure at home as snap elections approach in February 2025, with rival Friedrich Merz leading in the polls.
Merz has called for providing Ukraine with Taurus missiles, a stance Scholz has resisted but may reconsider in consultation with the incoming U.S. administration.
