German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said his conversation with Vladimir Putin on November 15 had given no indication of a shift in the Russian President's thinking on the war in Ukraine but defended his much-criticized decision to phone the Kremlin. Speaking from Berlin airport on November 17, immediately before his departure for the G20 summit in Brazil, Scholz said it had been worth talking to Putin to dispel any illusions he might harbor that the West was about to abandon its support for Ukraine. He added, with reference to Donald Trump's imminent return to the U.S. presidency, that it would also not be good if Washington were in regular contact with Putin while no European leader was.
Scholz Defends Call With Putin, Says Kremlin's Views On Ukraine Haven't Changed
GERMANY – GermanGerman Chancellor Olaf Scholz looks on, as he and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy give statement before talks in Berlin, Germany, October 11, 2024