On November 15, Chancellor of Germany Olaf Scholz held a telephone conversation with the illegitimate president of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, during which he condemned the aggressive war that Russia is waging against Ukraine.
Points of attention
- Olaf Scholz firmly denounces Russia's aggressive war against Ukraine and calls on Putin to stop the conflict.
- The conversation underlines the importance of achieving a just peace for Ukraine and highlights Germany's long-term commitment to supporting Ukraine in its defense efforts.
- Scholz emphasizes the need for Russia to engage in serious negotiations for lasting peace and condemns Russian airstrikes on civilian infrastructure in Ukraine.
- The commitment to maintain a balanced support for Ukraine is crucial, as questions arise about the level and justifiability of assistance provided.
- Scholz and Putin agree to continue communication, and the German government plans to inform allies, partners, EU, and NATO leaders about the conversation.
Scholz unexpectedly called Putin
The chancellor condemned Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine, which has brought death, suffering and destruction to Ukraine for almost 1,000 days. The chancellor particularly condemned Russian airstrikes against civilian infrastructure in Ukraine. He made it clear that sending North Korean soldiers to Russia to carry out combat missions against Ukraine will lead to a serious escalation and expansion of the conflict, the office of the head of the German government noted.
Scholz called on Putin to stop the war of aggression against Ukraine and withdraw the troops. He emphasized that none of Russia's military goals had been achieved and called on Russia to show readiness to conduct serious negotiations with Ukraine in order to achieve a just and lasting peace for Ukraine.
The chancellor emphasized Germany's unwavering determination to support Ukraine in its defense struggle as long as necessary. At the same time, he emphasized that Ukraine's support is designed for the long term, and the Russian leader cannot wait for time to play against him.
Scholz and Putin agreed to continue to maintain contact, the German Chancellor's office added.
The federal government will inform allies and partners, as well as EU and NATO leaders, about the conversation between Scholz and Putin.
The last time Scholz spoke to Putin by phone before that was in December 2022.
Scholz does not hide his failure regarding Ukraine
During a conversation with Schweriner Volkszeitung journalists, the German chancellor said that Germans are increasingly interested in issues related to the Russian Federation's war against Ukraine.
I was asked why I did not supply Ukraine with more weapons and sooner. But the question of whether this is correct was almost never asked. And I forgot to explain why it is important to support Ukraine by maintaining balance, that is, not to do all that some loudly demand.
He also officially confirmed that the question of whether the current level of support to Ukraine is justified is increasingly being raised in certain regions.
