German Scholz says he will talk to Putin ‘in due time’ – POLITICO

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has said he is ready to resume talks with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, as relations between the two leaders are almost non-existent as the Kremlin continues its assault on Ukraine.

“My last phone call was some time ago,” Scholz said in an interview with Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger published on Friday. “But I intend to speak to Putin again in due course,” added the Chancellor.

The last known phone call between the two leaders was in December, when they agreed to “keep in touch”.

Scholz at the time called for a diplomatic solution to the war, including a withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine, while Putin said Germany’s arms supply to Kiev was “destructive” and urged Berlin to rethink his approach.

In the interview, Scholz said he remains committed to the peace talks.

“It doesn’t look like war can be decided on the battlefield,” Scholz said, stressing that the withdrawal of Russian troops was a “precondition” for a “just peace.”

More than a year after the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, several countries are stepping up their diplomatic efforts to bring the two sides to the negotiating table.

Denmark said earlier this week it was open to hosting peace talks in July, while several southern countries, led by China and Brazil, have tried to position themselves as middlemen.