German Chancellor Olaf Scholz asked Russian President Vladimir Putin to withdraw troops from Ukraine and engage in negotiations with him, opening the way to a just and lasting peace. This was done during a telephone conversation between Scholz and Putin – the first in almost two years.
The Kremlin confirmed the truth of the conversation, which happened, as the Russian side said, at Berlin’s request.
“He (Chancellor Scholz) emphasized Germany’s determination to support Ukraine to protect it from Russian aggression for as long as necessary,” said a German government spokesman.
A source from Reuters in the Office of the President of Ukraine said that Vladimir Zelensky had previously warned Scholz not to talk on the phone with Putin.
The source clarified that Scholz informed Zelensky in advance that he intended to speak with the President of the Russian Federation.
“The President (Zelensky) said that this will only help Putin, reduce isolation. Putin doesn’t want real peace, he wants peace,” explained the Ukrainian source. – The conversation will allow Putin to change the situation and continue the war. This will not bring peace because Putin will just repeat -reciting the lies he’s been telling for years, making it appear he’s no longer lonely.”
On February 23, Germany will hold snap elections where Scholz’s Social Democrats will face a major challenge from left-wing and far-right parties opposed to support for Ukraine.
“Scholz believes that his communication with Putin will strengthen his position at home before the elections,” wrote Daniel Szeligowski of the Polish Institute of International Relations on social media.
At the same time, Scholz said in an interview with the newspaper Sueddeutsche Zeitung published on the same day that the war in Ukraine represents a critical situation for Germany from a financial point of view, which opens the possibility of additional costs.
“At the start of the war in February 2022, Germany did not know how long the conflict would last or how long more than a million Ukrainian refugees would need protection,” Scholz recalled.
“The mistake we made then will not stop us from doing the right thing today. The war in Russia is an extraordinary event that justifies a financial crisis and therefore higher spending,” Scholz said, calling for changes to the “debt brake” rule that currently limits government spending. .
“The reform will not solve all our financial problems, but it will make our way a little easier,” he said.
2024-11-15 18:47:00
#Scholz #asked #Putin #withdraw #troops #Ukraine #start #peace #talks
