After weeks of radio silence
Chancellor Scholz is on the phone with Putin
05/13/2022 12:51 p.m
On the occasion of the Ukraine war, Chancellor Scholz calls Russian President Putin again. According to the federal government, the phone call followed Scholz’s phone call with the Ukrainian President Selenskyj two days ago.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz has called Russian President Vladimir Putin again. This was announced by the federal government. After weeks of radio silence, it was the first personal exchange between the two politicians. According to the German side, the 75-minute conversation took place after Scholz’s phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on May 11.
Scholz and Putin therefore talked about the Ukraine war and efforts to end the war. In view of the “seriousness of the military situation” and the consequences of the war, especially in the Ukrainian port of Mariupol, the chancellor had pushed for a ceasefire, according to a statement by the federal government. Scholz called for an “improvement in the humanitarian situation” and progress “in the search for a diplomatic solution to the conflict”.
Furthermore, Scholz clearly rejected the accusation “that Nazism was widespread in Ukraine”. Russia repeatedly justifies its war of aggression against the neighboring country, which it began on February 24, with an alleged “denazification” of Ukraine, among other things. The Chancellor and the head of the Kremlin also spoke about the “global food situation” that was tense as a result of the war. “The Chancellor reminded that Russia has a special responsibility here,” it said.
Peace talks: Putin blames Ukraine
According to the Kremlin, the talks took place at the initiative of the German side. From Moscow it was said that Putin had informed “in detail” about Russia’s goals in Ukraine. One focus of the conversation was on humanitarian aspects. It had been agreed that the discussion should be continued “on different channels”. Putin also pointed out to Scholz “gross violations of the norms of international law by fighters who profess Nazi ideology”. The Russian news agency Tass reported that the Kremlin chief had told the chancellor that the peace talks were being blocked by the leadership in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv.
Scholz had already announced the initiative in the Bundestag’s Defense Committee that morning. “Of course, at some point you have to come to the point that there must be diplomatic initiatives again,” said government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit, explaining the Chancellor’s move. The aim is “to find a way out of this terrible war with terrible numbers of victims, a lot of destruction and also all the futility that war brings with it”.
After the start of the war in Ukraine, the chancellor called Putin several times, most recently on March 30. A few days later, the massacre in the Kiev suburb of Bucha became known, after which there was initially no further contact. In a published last week “Stern” interview Scholz said: “If there is anything to discuss, I will get in touch again. Our priority is clear: the war must end immediately.”
French President Emmanuel Macron had also stopped talking to Putin on the phone in the meantime, but picked up the phone again on May 3. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres even visited Putin in Moscow in order to achieve a de-escalation in the Ukraine war.