Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky tried to dissuade German Prime Minister Olaf Scholz from calling Russian President Vladimir Putin.
This was reported by Reuters, citing a source in Zelensky’s office.
How Zelensky tried to dissuade Scholz from calling Putin
As reported by the official representative of the German government, Steffen Hebestreit, before the conversation with the Russian president, the German Chancellor called the Ukrainian president.
According to Reuters, Zelensky tried to dissuade the head of the German government from calling the Russian president.
Zelensky said that this would only help Putin by reducing his isolation, the agency’s source said.
The Ukrainian president also told Scholz that the Russian president does not want real peace.
The conversation will allow Putin to change the situation and continue the war. This will not bring peace, Reuters quoted Zelensky as saying.
According to the agency, the conversation between Putin and Scholz lasted an hour.
Following the conversation, the Kremlin reported that the Russian President and the German Chancellor had a frank exchange of opinions on the situation in Ukraine.
Putin said that Russia is open to negotiations, but possible agreements must eliminate the root causes of the conflict, take into account Russia's interests in the security sphere and be based on territorial realities.
The German Chancellor wrote on the social network X that he called on the Russian President to withdraw his troops and demonstrate his readiness for negotiations.
