Scholz said he intends to continue speaking directly with Putin

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Dec. 20 at a joint press conference with Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal that he plans to continue speaking directly with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"I have spoken to the Russian president and will speak to him again," Scholz said.

He added that he would insist that Russian troops must be withdrawn from the conflict territory to end it.

Negotiating regression: Germany rules out resumption of high-level contacts with Russia

Are new discussions on the Ukrainian crisis between Vladimir Putin and Olaf Scholz possible?

Earlier, on December 12, German newspaper Die Zeit reported that Scholz plans to hold phone talks with Putin once again.

Prior to that, on December 4, Scholz said during a speech in the Bundestag that it would be absurd and a sign of weakness for Germany and the European Union not to hold talks with the Russian president. At the same time, Scholz pointed out that his position on the conflict in Ukraine is very different from that of the Russian leader.

On December 2, the German chancellor expressed support for Kiev during his visit to Ukraine in a message to Putin and promised to continue his support. Kremlin spokesman Dmitriy 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.