German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said he is willing to speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin again despite frustrating talks with him last month, according to German broadcaster RTL.Scholz spoke with Putin for the first time in almost two years on Nov.
15, calling for the withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine and urging him to show a willingness to negotiate with Kyiv.
Putin reiterated Moscows position that any ceasefire deal should take into account Russias security interests and territorial gains in southeastern Ukraine.It was frustrating, Scholz told RTL, according to the dpa news agency, because he just repeated all his formulas again.But the German leader said it was necessary to continue making clear to Putin that Berlins support for Ukraine will not waver.
Germany is Ukraines second-largest backer behind the United States.This has to be done, and Ill do it again.
But we must not have any illusions, Scholz said, adding that Russias troop withdrawal would lay the groundwork for peace.Ukraine responded angrily to Berlin reviving its lines of communication with Moscow, with President Volodymyr Zelensky saying it had opened a Pandoras box of bringing Putin out of international isolation.Moscow and Kyiv have not engaged in direct peace talks since the early weeks of the Russian invasion, which is closely approaching the three-year mark.