Zelenskyy: Scholz-Putin phone call risks opening ‘Pandora’s box’

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned German Chancellor Olaf Scholz that his phone call to the Russian president on Friday would only serve to make Vladimir Putin feel less isolated.

Scholz spoke with Putin for the first time in nearly two years, informing Zelenskyy in advance of his intention to call the Russian leader.
Ukrainian media, citing an undisclosed Presidential Office source, said Zelenskyy told Scholz that the conversation would ”make Putin feel that the isolation is decreasing”.
During his conversation with Putin, the German Chancellor condemned Russia’s war in Ukraine, urging him to end the fighting and withdraw his troops from Ukrainian territory.
“Russia must show a willingness to negotiate with Ukraine – with the aim of achieving a just and lasting peace,” Scholz reiterated in a post on X following the call.
The chancellor confirmed Berlin’s support for Ukraine against Russia’s invasion which is in its third year.
In his Friday evening address, Zelenskyy criticised any negotiations that could ease Russia’s isolation without meaningful outcomes.
”Now there may be other conversations, other calls. Just a lot of words. And this is exactly what Putin has wanted for a long time,” Zelenskyy said.
”It is extremely important for Putin to loosen his isolation, Russia’s isolation, and to conduct ordinary negotiations that will not result in anything, as he has been doing for decades.
”This has allowed Russia to change nothing in its police, to do nothing in essence, and this is exactly what led to this war.”
In a statement from the Kremlin, shared by the state-run Tass agency, Putin said that any peace deal should acknowledge Russia’s territorial gains and security demands, including that Kyiv renounce its bid to join NATO.
Putin also highlighted the unprecedented decline in Russian-German relations and that Moscow’s war in Ukraine was a direct result of NATO’s aggressive policy, the statement added.
Putin and Russian officials have repeatedly blamed NATO for Russia’s decision to invade Ukraine in early 2022.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the leaders had a ”detailed” and ”frank” exchange of opinions but added that ”there is no talk about convergence of opinions”.
The two sides agreed to remain in contact after the call.
The new communication between Scholz and Putin comes at a time of speculation about what the new administration of President-elect Donald Trump will mean for Ukraine.
Trump has said he will slash US assistance to Ukraine and seek to end the war with Russia within days of taking office.
In Germany, Scholz faces a political crisis and has called for a vote of confidence next month, with an early election in February.
In a speech to the parliament on Wednesday, Scholz said his Ukraine policy had helped avoid further escalation of the full-scale conflict which Putin has been waging for years.