Scholz expresses his willingness to engage in discussions with Putin

The Russian president already informed the German Chancellor that Ukraine rejected any form of interaction with Moscow because of Western support.

While reiterating his belief that Moscow must make significant concessions to Kiev in order to persuade it to engage in negotiations, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has signalled that he is prepared for new discussions over the Ukraine issue with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Speaking on Sunday to the German daily Heilbronner Stimme, Scholz asserted that Berlin will to provide Kiev with weaponry and other types of support “as long as necessary,” calling Russia’s campaign against Ukraine “the return of imperialism in Europe.”

He did, however, leave the possibility of diplomatic contact open, saying he has previously spoken with Putin and is prepared to do so going forward. Nevertheless, the chancellor insisted that Moscow remove its forces from the area that Kiev claims as its own, saying that “negotiations [with Ukraine] require a decisive step from Russia.”

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In December 2022, Scholz and Putin had their most recent phone conversation. The Russian president at the time expressed disapproval of “the destructive policy of Western countries to pump the Kiev regime with arms” and denied the Ukrainian military training. According to the Kremlin, Ukraine rejected all negotiations with Russia as a result of this backing.

Although Dmitry Peskov, the press secretary for the Kremlin, stated that Putin had no intentions to speak with the German leader again in June, the German leader had indicated that he wished to speak with the Russian leader at that time.

Russia insists that negotiations with Kiev are welcome. But after four former Ukrainian provinces decisively decided to join Russia last autumn, President Vladimir Zelensky of Ukraine suspended talks with the present Moscow administration.

Later, Zelensky proposed his own peace plan, requesting that Russia remove all of its forces from the area that Ukraine claims and setting up a court to hold Moscow accountable for suspected war crimes. Russia dismissed the idea as impractical.

After Bild revealed on Saturday that the German government had decided to raise the amount of military aid to Ukraine from €4 to 8 billion ($4.3 to 8.6 billion) in 2024, Scholz indicated he was prepared to speak with Russia. Russia has consistently cautioned the West from arming itself, claiming that doing so will only escalate the conflict and turn it into a direct participant in fighting.