Kremlin confirms call with Germany’s Scholz

The two leaders discussed the Ukraine crisis, with the Russian President saying the conflict was the result of aggressive NATO policies

Russian President Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz spoke by phone on Friday, their first direct contact in almost two years, the Kremlin has confirmed, saying that the Ukraine crisis was the primary topic of the conversation.

According to the Kremlin statement, Putin and Scholz last spoke directly in December 2022. During Friday’s call, which Moscow said was initiated by the German side, the two leaders held a “detailed and frank exchange of views on the situation in Ukraine.”

Putin told Scholz that the current crisis was "a direct result of NATO’s long-standing aggressive policy aimed at creating an anti-Russian bridgehead on Ukrainian territory, while ignoring our country’s interests in the field of security and trampling on the rights of Russian-speaking residents,” the Kremlin said.

Discussing the prospects for a political and diplomatic resolution to the conflict, the Russian president said Moscow has never refused to hold peace negotiations with Kiev and remains open to relaunching talks, which had previously been shut down by the Ukrainian side.

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Putin noted, however, that any potential settlements between Moscow and Kiev should take into account Russia’s interests in the sphere of security, as well as the new territorial realities, and “eliminate the root causes of the conflict.”

The two leaders also discussed Russian-German relations, with Putin saying that their "unprecedented degradation" was the result of "unfriendly policies" implemented by Berlin. Moscow, meanwhile, has always adhered to both its treaty and contractual obligations in the energy sector and remains ready for mutually beneficial cooperation, Putin said.

The leaders also discussed tensions in the Middle East and efforts to find peaceful resolutions to the crisis in the region, the Kremlin said. Following their conversation, Putin and Scholz agreed to remain in touch, it added.

German officials also confirmed the talks, reporting that during the phone call, Scholz urged Putin to end the Ukraine conflict and “withdraw his troops.”

According to German government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit, the Chancellor “insisted on Russia’s readiness to negotiate with Ukraine in order to achieve a fair and lasting peace” and spoke of Berlin’s “unwavering determination” to support Kiev “as long as necessary.”