Kyiv angry after Olaf Scholz calls Vladimir Putin to discuss Ukraine

[Oh poor little puppet...] (translator’s comment)

(Image : translator’s choice, not the original one…😝)

Source : Epoch Times with AFP

Volodymyr Zelensky accused Germany of playing into Putin’s hands after Olaf Scholz spoke to the Russian president on Friday to discuss terms for peace in Ukraine, the first meeting between the two leaders in nearly two years.

During the hour-long call, Scholz called on Russia to show its “willingness to enter into negotiations with Ukraine for a just and lasting peace,” according to the German government. The chancellor reiterated that Moscow must withdraw its troops from Ukraine and “put an end to the war.” The exchange angered Ukraine, which saw it as “an attempt to appease” Moscow at a time when Ukrainians are losing ground on the front lines and fear losing U.S. support after Donald Trump’s presidential victory.

Talking to Vladimir Putin “opens Pandora’s box,” criticized Volodymyr Zelensky, who fears being forced into negotiations unfavorable to Ukraine. During the meeting, Vladimir Putin reaffirmed that any peace agreement should reflect the “new territorial realities,” according to the Kremlin.

This is the Russian position repeated for months. Russia is open to peace negotiations, but with “concessions” from kyiv: the cession of the Ukrainian territories that Moscow annexed in 2022 without fully controlling them. A condition deemed unthinkable by Kiev.

“Concrete and strong actions” instead of conversations with Russia

“Conversations with the Russian dictator alone do not bring any added value to achieve a just peace,” criticized the spokesman for Ukrainian diplomacy, Georgiy Tykhy, calling instead for “concrete and strong actions” to force Russia to peace.

Olaf Scholz had warned Volodymyr Zelensky of his call to Vladimir Putin. Washington, Paris and London knew the intention of the German Chancellor, but the messages were not "coordinated", according to the entourage of President Emmanuel Macron. Mr. Scholz will be able to inform in more detail the leaders of the G20 that he is to meet at the summit organized on Monday and Tuesday in Brazil. A meeting of several heads of EU diplomacy is also planned for Tuesday in Warsaw to mark the thousand days of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

In a first comment on Friday, the head of the Polish government Donald Tusk welcomed Olaf Scholz's saying that "nothing on Ukraine" would be done "without Ukraine". The German Chancellor also reiterated to the Russian leader the "determination" of Germany and the EU to support Ukraine "as long as necessary". The last call between the German and Russian leaders dates back to December 2, 2022, some 9 months after the start of Moscow's offensive in Ukraine on February 24, 2022. It is also the last known telephone exchange between the head of the Kremlin and the leader of a major Western country. According to the Kremlin, which described the exchange as "frank and detailed", the call took place "at the initiative of the German side".

Germany refuses to supply Taurus missiles to Kyiv

Since the Russian invasion, Germany has been the second largest supplier of military aid to kyiv, after the United States. But despite repeated requests from Volodymyr Zelensky, Chancellor Scholz has tirelessly refused to supply long-range Taurus missiles requested by kyiv to better defend itself. The fear of an escalation with Moscow regularly put forward by the German leader also earns him criticism from some of his European allies who accuse him of a lack of determination.

Olaf Scholz recently called for renewed efforts to end the conflict through diplomatic means, in consultation with kyiv and the country's allies. In mid-October, he had judged that the time had come "to do everything - in addition to clearly supporting Ukraine - to find a way to prevent this war from continuing". "There will never be decisions taken over Ukraine's head, and never without consultation with our closest partners", he had nevertheless assured.

Military and financial support for kyiv and Germany's defense policy will be one of the topics of the election campaign that should lead the country to early legislative elections on February 23.