Telephone call with Kremlin boss Putin: Scholz urges Russia to withdraw

There has been radio silence between Chancellor Scholz and Kremlin boss Putin since May. Now both have spoken to each other again in a telephone call. The Chancellor pushed for a diplomatic solution to the Ukraine war.

Many weeks have passed since Chancellor Olaf Scholz last spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Now the German head of government has picked up the thread of the conversation again. In the 90-minute conversation, the Chancellor pushed for a diplomatic solution to the Ukraine war, government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit said.

This must be based on a ceasefire, a complete withdrawal of Russian troops and respect for Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty. The chancellor also made it clear that “further annexation steps by Russia will not go unanswered and will not be recognized under any circumstances,” Hebestreit continued.

Scholz insists on a grain agreement

According to the federal government, the conversation also dealt with the situation at the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant. Scholz emphasized the need to ensure the safety of the nuclear power plant occupied by Russian forces. Hebestreit announced that he had also called for any escalation steps to be avoided and for the measures recommended in the report by the International Atomic Energy Agency to be implemented immediately.

Another topic was the global food situation, which is particularly tense as a result of the Russian war of aggression. Scholz therefore appealed to Putin to continue to fully implement the grain agreement agreed with the UN and Turkey in order to ease the global food situation, which had been aggravated by the war of aggression.

Vague promises of the Kremlin

After the phone call, the Kremlin only said that Scholz and Putin had discussed the situation at the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant. The Russian President has promised that the Red Cross should have access to Ukrainian prisoners of war. In addition, Russia is willing to remain a reliable energy supplier, the statement said.

According to his spokesman, Scholz last spoke to Putin on the phone at the end of May. At that time, Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron spoke together with the Russian President. Since the phone call in May there have been further dramatic developments in the war zone. Russia invaded Ukraine at the end of February.

Ukraine reports land gains

Since then, the country has been defending itself against the attackers, also with support from the West. Most recently, Ukraine reported further gains in territory in the north-east of the country, fueling hopes of a turnaround in the war beyond Ukraine. Accordingly, after their defeat in the Kharkiv region, Russian troops withdrew from the first places in the neighboring Luhansk region.

With the help of Western weapons, Kyiv wants to recapture the Luhansk and Donetsk regions. Russia had announced the complete capture of Luhansk in July. According to their own statements, the Ukrainians currently hold around 40 percent of the territory in Donetsk. The Russian leadership around President Vladimir Putin is calm despite the setbacks. No general mobilization is planned, said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, according to the Interfax agency.