Olaf Scholz Urges Putin to Withdraw Troops and End the War During Phone Call

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Russian leader Vladimir Putin held a telephone conversation on Friday, November 15.

This was reported on the website of Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

“The Chancellor condemned Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and called on President Putin to end it and withdraw troops, “ the official press release stated. ‘The Chancellor urged Russia’s willingness to negotiate with Ukraine with the aim of achieving a just and lasting peace and stressed Germany’s unwavering determination to support Ukraine in its fight against Russian aggression for as long as necessary.’

It was noted that the Chancellor spoke on the phone with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy beforehand and will do so again after the conversation with Putin.

According to the German news agency DPA, the conversation lasted for an hour. Earlier on the same day, Bloomberg was the first to report on Chancellor Scholz’s initiative to arrange the call.

This is the first communication between Scholz and Putin in nearly two years. Their last conversation took place in December 2022, when the Chancellor urged the Kremlin leader to withdraw Russian troops from Ukraine. The last in-person talks between Scholz and Putin were held on February 15 of the same year, before Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.