German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke on the phone for an hour on Friday afternoon, a German government source said on Friday (November 15), Reuters reports.
Scholz and Putin last spoke directly in December 2022, the government said. According to a government spokesperson Scholz demanded the withdrawal of Russian troops in Ukraine.
Scholz also urged Russia to show a willingness to negotiate with Ukraine with the aim of a just and lasting peace, the spokesman said.
After the USA, Germany is the biggest supporter of the government in Kyiv. However, the Chancellor regularly emphasises that further escalation and direct involvement of the West in the war must be prevented.
