The Kremlin is obviously adjusting to the new situation in the war.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz spoke by phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin for the first time in almost two years.
This phone call was not only fruitless and angered Kiev, but also humiliated Scholz because Putin only wants to negotiate with the US. The media in Germany commented on this very topic.
Der Tagesspiegel points out that Putin knows very well that Scholz has no relevant role. Moscow will ultimately only negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine with the US president. And Putin knows that Scholz will no longer play an important role in European politics.
In fact, after the collapse of the German government, it is extremely doubtful whether Scholz will continue as chancellor after the new elections scheduled for February 2025. The polls don’t look good for him. Therefore, the conversation with Putin may also have domestic political reasons in view of the upcoming election campaign.
For Putin, on the other hand, things are currently going very well on the front and Moscow is not at all interested in negotiations. The Kremlin is likely to wait at least until Donald Trump takes office in the US in January and not hold any talks until then.
The chancellor called on Russia to show willingness to negotiate with Ukraine with the goal of a just and lasting peace. But Putin categorically rejected the possibility of withdrawing his army from the occupied Ukrainian lands and declared that NATO must adapt to the new territorial realities.
Scholz also angered Ukraine with his conversation. The conversation between German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Russian President Vladimir Putin “opened Pandora’s box” by undermining efforts to isolate the Russian leader, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said. “Now there can be other conversations, other calls. Just a lot of words. And this is exactly what Putin wanted for a long time: it is extremely important for him to weaken his isolation,” Zelensky pointed out.
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