German Chancellor Olaf Scholz spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin for the first time in nearly two years on Nov. 15.
During the call, Scholz urged Putin to open negotiations with Ukraine to end the war there.
“He stressed Germany’s unbroken determination to back Ukraine in its defense against Russian aggression for as long as necessary.”
The Kremlin said the fact that the call took place was “extremely positive” and that the conversation came at Berlin’s request.
Putin told Scholz that any cease-fire must take Russian security interests into account and reflect “new territorial realities,” suggesting Moscow remains committed to earlier demands that Ukraine cede substantial amounts of its territory to Russia.
Germany was heavily reliant on Russian gas before the war, but direct shipments ceased when pipelines under the Baltic Sea were blown up in 2022.
“Now there may be other conversations, other calls,” Zelenskyy said in an evening address on Nov. 15.
“And this is exactly what Putin has long wanted: It is extremely important for him to weaken his isolation and to conduct ordinary negotiations.”
Zelenskyy said that Moscow had repeatedly used negotiations to advance its interests at Ukraine’s expense, including during rounds of talks over the war between Ukraine and Russian-backed paramilitary groups that erupted in Ukraine’s eastern provinces in 2014.
Germany has given Ukraine a total of $15.8 billion in financial, humanitarian, and military support since Russia’s 2022 invasion.
Scholz’s party, which will undergo a snap election in February 2025, is facing pressure from both sides of the political spectrum over its lack of diplomatic contact with Russia throughout the war.
President-elect Donald Trump has vowed repeatedly to end the war early in his administration and compel both Russia and Ukraine to come to the negotiating table.
German officials said that Putin and Scholz agreed to stay in contact and that Scholz would brief Zelenskyy and Germany’s allies about the outcome of his call with Putin.
