Former Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba said in X that German Chancellor Olaf Scholz did not call Russian leader Vladimir Putin “several months ago” because Vladimir Zelensky did not approve of this idea.
“A few months ago, Scholz asked Zelensky if he should call Putin. Zelensky opposed this idea and Scholz abstained.” —Kuleba said.
He also believed that Scholz’s final call would not contribute to strengthening the chancellor’s image “among German voters who sympathize with Russia.” Kuleba said that “Germany’s hard-earned reputation among Ukrainians has been significantly affected” and “trust between Zelensky and Scholz has been affected.”
Furthermore, according to Kuleba, Germany paved the way for Putin to emerge from European isolation; The Russian president “showed the entire world” that “the West will end up bowing its head.”
Scholz and Putin spoke on November 15 for the first time since December 2022. On the same day, Reuters reported that Zelensky was against the call.
The conversation between Putin and Scholz lasted about an hour. Berlin reported that during the conversation, Scholz called on Russia to start negotiations with Ukraine and end the conflict.
Putin, in turn, emphasized that potential settlement agreements should take into account Russia’s security interests, be based on “new territorial realities” and, most importantly, eliminate the root causes of the conflict. Moscow considers them an aggressive policy of NATO and the creation of an “anti-Russian bridgehead” on the territory of Ukraine, RBC recalls.
