German Chancellor Scholz, Russia’s Putin hold 1st phone call in nearly 2 years

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke on the phone Friday for the first time in almost two years, a German government source told Agence France-Presse (AFP).

First time in 2 years

Scholz spoke with Putin for an hour, marking their first conversation since December 2022. During the call, Scholz condemned the war in Ukraine and urged for negotiations, according to a German government source.

Prior to speaking with Putin, Scholz also had a conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Putin has not spoken to most NATO and Western leaders since 2022 when the EU and the U.S. imposed massive sanctions on Russia for launching its shock Ukraine offensive. Germany has been one of Ukraine’s biggest military supporters, second only to the United States in the aid it has sent to Kyiv.

Scholz talked to Zelensky “beforehand and will do so again after the conversation with the Russian President”, the chancellor’s spokesman Steffen Hebestreit said in a statement.