Chancellor Olaf Scholz, criticized for his phone conversation with Vladimir Putin, today defended his decision, reaffirming Germany’s unwavering support for Ukraine and assuring that no decision to end the war will be made without Kiev
“No phone call can stop Russian aggression in Ukraine,” said Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, two days after German Chancellor Olaf Scholz spoke by phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin. “No one will stop Putin with phone calls,” wrote Donald Tusk on the social network X. “The latest Russian attack this weekend, one of the biggest of this war, proved that diplomacy through phone calls cannot replace real support of the whole West in Ukraine”, he underlined. Ukraine’s power system suffered one of the worst Russian attacks in recent months, with the attacks killing at least seven people and wounding 20 others across the country, authorities said.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz, criticized for his phone conversation with Vladimir Putin, today defended his decision, reaffirming Germany’s unwavering support for Ukraine and assuring that no decision to end the war will be made without Kiev.
These words of the German chancellor were welcomed on Friday by Donald Tusk, who expressed his satisfaction that the German chancellor “repeated the Polish position: nothing for Ukraine without Ukraine”. The conversation between Chancellor Scholz and President Putin angered Kiev, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky chiding Scholz for “opening Pandora’s box”. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said that the development of the telephone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin on November 15 did not show any indication that the Russian President has changed his mind about the war against Ukraine. Speaking from Berlin airport on November 17, before heading to Brazil to attend the G20 summit, Scholzi said it was worth talking to Putin to dispel any illusions Putin had that the West would give up on support for Ukraine.
The West has been helping Ukraine with arms and other aid since Russia launched its unprovoked invasion of its neighbor in February 2022.
Scholz, referring to Donald Trump’s return to the White House, said it would also not be good if Washington were in regular contact with Putin, as no European leader maintains regular contact with the Russian leader. The November 15 conversation was the first conversation between Scholz and Putin after almost two years. The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, has severely criticized Scholz for his conversation with Putin. He said that this conversation could help Putin to “ease his isolation” and “Russia’s isolation”. Zelensky has stated that such empty exchanges are “exactly what Putin has been waiting for a long time”, as the two-and-a-half-year-old war continues.
