German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is planning to speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin in November, according to the German media Die Zeit.
If the call takes place, Scholz would be the first leader among Ukraine’s allies to speak directly with Putin since 2022.
Die Zeit, citing “government circles,” reported on 1 October that the conversation will occur before the G20 meeting in Brazil. However, the publication noted, “Berlin has not yet officially asked the Kremlin about the possibility of a conversation.”
Süddeutsche Zeitung later reported, referencing the chancellor’s administration, that “no concrete plans and timelines for a possible telephone conversation have been discussed yet.”
Scholz has previously said that further negotiations on a potential ceasefire in Ukraine would only take place with Putin’s involvement. According to some reports, the German chancellor consulted with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during his September visit to the US air base in Ramstein.
The chancellor has repeatedly emphasized that phone talks with Putin would provide a rare opportunity to “confront the Russian president with reality.”
The last telephone conversation between Scholz and Putin occurred on 2 December 2022. According to the chancellor’s official representative, no rapprochement between the two leaders occurred then.
Specific plans for a call to Moscow were in place in August 2023 following the plane crash that killed Wagner Group founder Yevgeny Prigozhin. However, the chancellor’s administration repeatedly postponed the conversation, reportedly due to a lack of signals from the Kremlin that it could take place.
Representatives of Western countries supporting Ukraine will gather in Ramstein on 12 October. US President Joe Biden and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will attend the meeting.
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