Germany’s Scholz talks to Putin and demands Russia pull out of Ukraine

A spokesman for the German government said that Chancellor Olaf Scholz held direct talks by phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday, demanding the withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine, and that Russia shows willingness to negotiate a fair and lasting peace.

A statement from German government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit said Scholz condemned Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and called on Putin to end it and withdraw troops.

The statement said the chancellor reaffirmed Germany’s unwavering determination to support Ukraine in its fight against Russian aggression for as long as necessary. The brief statement did not include a response from Putin.

The spokesman said Scholz spoke to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy before his call to the Russian leader and intended to call him again afterwards. Media reports say the call lasted about an hour.

Reuters news agency reported that the Kremlin confirmed the call, which it said had come at Berlin’s request. The news agency reported that the Kremlin said Putin told Scholz that any agreement to end the war in Ukraine must take into account Russian security interests and reflect “new territorial realities.”

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that despite deep disagreements, the fact that the two leaders had the call at all was “very positive”.

However, Zelenskyy was not too pleased with the call. In a video address posted on his website Friday, Zelenskyy said that, in his opinion, the call is a “Pandora’s box.”

“This is exactly what Putin has wanted for a long time: it is crucial for him to weaken his isolation. Russia’s isolation,” Zelenskyy said. “And to engage in negotiations, ordinary negotiations, that will not lead to anything.”

He said that’s what Putin has been doing for decades. “This allowed Russia not to change anything in its policy, not to do anything significant, and ultimately it led to this war.”

Zelenskyy said Ukraine understands how to act regarding Putin and handle negotiations accordingly.

“And we want to warn everyone: There will be no Minsk-3,” he said, referring to the Minsk agreements, two failed ceasefire agreements between Kiev and Moscow on the status of the eastern Donbas region. “What we need is real peace.”

The call came about a week after Scholz’s coalition government fell apart and he faces a new election early next year.

Also on Friday, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said in a state radio interview that the EU must abandon its sanctions against Russia or face economic collapse.

The EU and its Western partners have imposed numerous sanctions against Russia and Putin since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, many of which target Russia’s energy sector.

Orban, a staunch ally of Putin, said in the interview that sanctions against Russia have driven up energy prices and must be reviewed by EU leaders in Brussels. He said the sanctions have failed and as long as they are in place energy prices will not fall and this will destroy the European economy.

Orban also referred to incoming US President Donald Trump’s victory last week. Referring to Trump as “our comrade in arms” and “our comrade in peace,” he said his victory means a change of heart in Brussels – the site of the European Union’s headquarters.

Orban said they must call for “a pro-peace” turn in the EU, citing their support for Ukraine.

Some information for this report was provided by the Associated Press, Reuters and Agence France-Presse.