German Chancellor Olaf Scholz had planned to call Russian President Vladimir Putin months before their recent contact but abandoned the idea after Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy objected, Ukraine’s former Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba disclosed.
The revelation comes amid mounting concerns in Kyiv over Western diplomatic overtures to Moscow. As US President-elect Donald Trump promises a rapid end to the war, European leaders seem to be exploring dialogue channels with Putin.
“A few months ago, Chancellor Scholz asked President Zelenskyy whether a call to Putin would be appropriate. Zelenskyy opposed the idea, and Scholz refrained,” Kuleba wrote on X.
Scholz ultimately spoke with Putin on 15 November – their first conversation since December 2022. Both Kuleba, who served as Foreign Minister until September 2024, and Zelenskyy have criticized the call for breaking Russia’s diplomatic isolation.
“Putin showcased to the world that his strategy is working – the West will eventually bow its head under the cover of urging him to stop the war which he is not going to do,” Kuleba wrote.
Zelenskyy has termed the conversation “opening Pandora’s box.”
Read more:
- Former British PM: Scholz-Putin call risks treating aggressor as equal partner in Ukraine war talks
- “No decisions without Ukraine”: Warsaw to host crucial Ukraine war talks as tensions rise over Scholz-Putin call
- Zelenskyy calls Scholz-Putin phone call “Pandora’s box” weakening Russia’s isolation
- Scholz calls for peace in Ukraine during first phone call with Putin in two years
