On Friday, Olaf Scholz spoke by phone with Vladimir Putin for the first time in almost two years. The prime minister then called on the Russian president to “withdraw his troops” from Ukraine and demonstrate his readiness to negotiate with Kiev.
Secretary of Defense questions Scholz's move
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, who is also seen as Scholz's successor, admitted on Tuesday that the phone call between the prime minister and Vladimir Putin was “not as effective as we had hoped.”
Pistorius noted that the dictator “reacted within about 24 hours to the attack on Ukraine's infrastructure,” which could indicate that the Scholz-Putin meeting was in vain. .
See also: Controversial Russian move. Regarding President Putin's executive order: “Paper can withstand everything''
– This phone conversation gave us evidence that Putin does not want to negotiate anything. Germany and everyone in Europe should finally realize that now is not the time to talk about peace. (…) “We all want peace, but President Putin does not want peace,” the head of the German ministry told reporters during a visit to Brussels, as quoted by Der Spiegel.
Mr. Scholz met with Mr. Putin. Criticism from various quarters
This is the first clear statement from a local government leader indicating doubts about the tactics employed by Mr. Scholz. But local media had no doubt a few days ago that the move was dangerous.
Le Monde newspaper reported on Saturday that French experts admitted there was no good reason to make such a call, suggesting that Germany and other European countries should resume “as usual” at the first opportunity. “It only confirms President Putin's belief that he dreams of doing so.” Russia, especially in gas purchases.
See: Tusk is critical of Scholz's movement. Conversation with Putin in the background
Representatives of the Polish government were also skeptical of the Prime Minister's ideas. In an interview with Bloomberg, President Andrzej Duda interpreted the phone call between Scholz and President Putin as an attempt to “exclude Donald Trump from talks on the future of Ukraine” and reinvigorate relations between Germany and the Kremlin. did. In response, Prime Minister Donald Tusk said online: “No one can stop a cellphone war.”
Scholz himself responded to criticism from many quarters and said it was worth talking with Putin to dispel illusions that the West would abandon support for Ukraine.
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