Scholz said he would like to talk to Putin again

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said he would like to talk to Russian President Vladimir Putin again.

"I would like [to talk again]. You just can't be naive or have illusions," he said in a Dec. 27 interview with T-online when asked about the possibility of a second conversation.

Scholz also reiterated that he does not intend to send German troops to Ukraine, but Berlin intends to continue its military support for Kiev.

According to the Chancellor, he has already spoken twice with US President-elect Donald Trump and they agreed to closely coordinate positions on the topic of the Ukrainian conflict.

Earlier, on December 20, Scholz said at a press conference that he intends to continue talking to Putin. He made similar remarks on December 12. Der Spiegel magazine also wrote that Scholz might visit Moscow with a "peace mission" in the near future, but the German government ruled out such a possibility.

Prior to that, on December 4, during a speech in the Bundestag, the chancellor said that it would be absurd and a sign of weakness for Germany and the European Union not to negotiate with the Russian president.

In mid-November, Putin and Scholz had their first telephone conversation in two years, which was initiated by the German side. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called the fact of the dialog positive. The talks were mainly devoted to Ukraine.

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