BERLIN, December 12. /TASS/. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is ready to hold a new telephone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin, he told the RTL TV channel.

Scholz said that the previous conversation had "disappointed" him because Putin "just repeated his formulas" for resolving the conflict in Ukraine. However, the chancellor argued that this call was necessary to make it clear to the Russian side that it could not expect a weakening of German support for Ukraine. According to Scholz, such conversations are also needed to urge the Russian leader to "withdraw troops so that a foundation for peaceful development can be established."

"It has to be done, and I will do it again. But one should not have any illusions about it," the chancellor said.

Scholz called Putin on November 15. Prior to that, the leaders had spoken over the phone on December 2, 2022. During their recent conversation, according to the Kremlin, they discussed Ukraine, the Middle East, and Russia-Germany bilateral relations. The president and the chancellor agreed that their aides would stay in touch.