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Scholz hopes to hold conversation with Putin in coming weeks — media

As the weekly Die Zeit emphasized, Olaf Scholz last talked with Putin in December 2022, also over the phone

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz AP Photo/Markus Schreiber

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz

© AP Photo/Markus Schreiber

BERLIN, October 1. /TASS/. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz wants to open the lines of communication with Russian President Vladimir Putin via a phone call in the coming weeks, the weekly Die Zeit reported with reference to government sources.

According to their information, Scholz's entourage is considering the possibility of holding a phone call ahead of the G20 summit set to take place in Brazil this November. So far, the German side has not yet officially requested the conversation, the newspaper specified. Should it take place, Scholz would be the first leader from a major Western power to talk with Putin directly in more than a year and a half.

As the weekly Die Zeit emphasized, Scholz last talked with Putin in December 2022, also over the phone. US President Joe Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron, and now former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson also spoke directly with the Russian president for the last time in 2022.

On September 9, German government spokesperson Steffen Hebestreit told reporters that Scholz would hold a phone conversation with Putin "when he deems the moment appropriate." The day before, the chancellor told ZDF TV that the conflict in Ukraine had reached a point where negotiations were absolutely necessary, and once again favored Russia's participation in the upcoming summit in order to resolve the crisis. The Russian and German leaders last met personally on February 15, 2022 at the Kremlin.

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Ukraine crisis Foreign policy Olaf Scholz

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