Ukraine: Putin-Soltz talks about peace – Zelensky’s reaction –

Table of Contents

• 1 Germany’s dependence on Russian gas
• 2 Tusk satisfied with the placement of Soltz
• 3 Zelensky to Soltz: “Don’t talk to Putin”
• 4 What are the potential risks and rewards for Germany ​in negotiating energy deals with ⁣Russia, given the ‍current geopolitical tensions?

Russian President Vladimir Putin has told German Chancellor Olaf Scholz that his country is willing to consider energy deals if Berlin is interested, the Kremlin said, in their first phone conversation since December 2022.

In its statement, the Kremlin also said the two men had a “detailed and frank exchange of views” on Ukraine and that Putin laid out the same position he has stated for months: that any peace deal must cover Moscow’s security interests and to rely on the “new territorial realities” – a reference to the fact that Russian troops control a fifth of the country.

Putin also spoke of an “unprecedented deterioration” in relations between the two countries, which he blamed on Germany’s unfriendly actions, according to a Kremlin statement.

“It was emphasized that Russia always strictly fulfills its contractual and contractual obligations in the energy sector and is ready for mutually beneficial cooperation if the German side shows interest in it.”

Germany’s dependence on Russian gas

Germany was heavily dependent on Russian gas before the war, but direct shipments stopped when the Nord Stream pipelines blew up at the bottom of the Baltic Sea in 2022.

It is recalled that Germany and other European Union countries have imposed successive waves of sanctions on Russia because of the war and have taken steps to wean themselves off Russian oil and natural gas.

As for Ukraine, the Kremlin said in a statement that Putin’s stance was the same as he had indicated in June, when he said the war could end if Kiev abandoned its NATO ambitions and surrendered all four territories it claims Russia. Ukraine rejected these terms as tantamount to surrender.

“Potential agreements should take into account the interests of the Russian Federation in the field of security, start from the new territorial realities and, above all, eliminate the root causes of the conflict,” the Kremlin said in its statement.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, later referring to the phone conversation between the two leaders, said it showed deep disagreements over Ukraine, but the fact that they spoke was extremely positive.

“There were quite detailed discussions, first of all on the Ukrainian issue, frank discussions… But, of course, we cannot talk about some coincidence of views here.. there are quite deep disagreements, but the very fact of the dialogue is extremely positive.” Peskov told a Russian state television reporter.

Tusk satisfied with the placement of Soltz

At the same time, the Prime Minister of Poland today expressed his satisfaction that German Chancellor Olaf Scholz told Russian President Vladimir Putin, during a telephone conversation, that nothing can be decided on Ukraine without the participation of this country that has been defeated from the war.

“I received a phone call from Chancellor Soltz who informed me about his conversation with Vladimir Putin. I was glad to hear that the chancellor not only unequivocally condemned Russian aggression, but also reiterated the Polish position: nothing for Ukraine, without Ukraine,” wrote Donald Tusk on the X social network.

I have just received a call from Chancellor Scholz who gave me an account of his talk with V.Putin. I was satisfied to hear that he not only condemned the Russian aggression, but he also reiterated the Polish position: „Nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine”.

— Donald Tusk (@donaldtusk) November 15, 2024

Zelensky to Soltz: “Don’t talk to Putin”

Solz spoke to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky before his call with Putin and will brief the Ukrainian leader on the outcome afterward.

Zelensky warned Solz to avoid telephone communications with the Russian president, arguing that such talks would reduce the Kremlin’s international isolation and prolong the war.

According to a source from the Ukrainian president’s office, Zelensky stressed that any communication with the Russian leader sends the wrong message. “The president said this would only help Putin by reducing his isolation. Putin doesn’t want real peace, he wants a break,” the source told Reuters.

Germany is Ukraine’s biggest financial backer and biggest arms supplier after the United States, whose future support for Kiev looks uncertain after Donald Trump won the US presidential election.

Trump has repeatedly criticized the amount of Western economic and military aid to Ukraine and has suggested he can bring a quick end to the war, without explaining how.

Solz and Putin last spoke in December 2022, 10 months after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Scholz, the most unpopular German chancellor in history, is gearing up for national elections on February 23 in which his Social Democrats face stiff competition from left and far-right parties critical of Germany’s support for Ukraine.