German Chancellor Olaf Scholz says he plans to speak to Russian President Vladimir Putin "in due course," holding out the prospect of resuming contact after a near-total breakdown in relations since the Ukraine war. "My last telephone call was some time ago," Scholz told the Koelner Stadt-Anzeiger newspaper in an interview published on May 26. "But I plan to speak to Putin again in due course." The leaders last spoke by telephone in early December. During that hourlong call, Scholz urged Putin to withdraw Moscow's troops from Ukraine, while the Russian leader accused the West of pursuing "destructive" policies.
Germany's Scholz Says Plans To Speak to Putin 'In Due Course'
Russian President Vladimir Putin (left) meets with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Moscow on February 15, 2022.