Scholz called the possible refusal of Germany and the EU to negotiate with Putin absurd

It would be absurd and a sign of weakness for Germany and the European Union not to hold talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said during a speech in the Bundestag on December 4.

"It would be absurd and a sign of incredible political weakness if we in Germany and Europe were to simply wait for such phone conversations to be conducted by someone else, and we would simply comment on the news from the TV," RIA Novosti quoted him as saying.

At the same time, Scholz pointed out that his position on the conflict in Ukraine is very different from that of the Russian leader.

Earlier in the day, the German Chancellor said that Germany would not give Ukraine permission to strike with long-range weapons deep into Russian territory and would not supply Taurus cruise missiles. He linked this to the desire to avoid escalation of the conflict between Russia and NATO.

Before that, on December 2, Scholz expressed support for Kiev during his visit to Ukraine in a message to Putin and promised to continue his support. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called these words an example of the destructive line of European leaders. On the same day, the chancellor announced the allocation of €650 million worth of arms to Kiev.

In mid-November, Putin and Scholz had their first telephone conversation in two years. The conversation took place at the initiative of the German side. Peskov called the fact of such a dialog positive. The Russian leader said on November 28 that the talks were mainly devoted to Ukraine.

The special operation to protect Donbass, the start of which Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on February 24, 2022, continues. The decision was taken against the background of the aggravated situation in the region.