German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, while at Berlin airport before flying to the G20 summit in Brazil, said his conversation with Vladimir Putin on November 15 showed that the Russian president had not changed his position on the war in Ukraine.
Kreiszeitung reports this.
Scholz said: “Unfortunately, this is not good news.”
He noted that the conversation with the head of the Kremlin was necessary to “dispel all his illusions.”
“It is very important to make Putin understand that support for Ukraine from Germany, Europe and other countries in the world will not weaken,” the chancellor stressed.
“Our principle remains the same: Ukraine can count on our support. We continue to maintain the position that no decisions will be made without Ukraine’s participation and we continue to fulfill our obligations.” Scholz said. He also added that Germany remains Ukraine’s largest arms supplier. “This will not change. We will fulfill everything we promised,” said the chancellor.
By the way, Scholz’s conversation with Putin lasted about an hour. During the conversation, the Chancellor condemned Russian aggression against Ukraine and demanded the withdrawal of Russian troops from the occupied territories. At the same time, the German publication Deutsche Welle believes that Scholz’s call turned out to be a good moment for Putin to make propaganda in Russia. The Russian media focused on the fact that it was Scholz who started this conversation. “Was Scholz a victim of the Kremlin’s propaganda trap?” – journalists ask themselves.
Recall that Kursor wrote that German Chancellor Olaf Scholz had a telephone conversation with Vladimir Putin for the first time in two years, which sparked a wave of discussions among experts and politicians. As the BILD publication notes, many consider this step as a concession that actually transferred the initiative to the Russian leader.
According to Nico Lange, a security expert at the Munich conference, Scholz announced his intention to contact Putin in advance, giving him the opportunity to choose a convenient time for the conversation. This approach, according to Lange, strengthened the Kremlin’s position.
