German Chancellor Olaf Scholz talks to Russian President Vladimir Putin on the phone as foreign and security policy advisor Jens Ploetner and government spokespokesman Steffen Hebestreit look on in Berlin, Germany, November 15, 2024. Steffen Kugler/BPA/Handout via REUTERS
BERLIN (Reuters) -Chancellor Olaf Scholz spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday for the first time in nearly two years as the German leader gears up for a snap election and Europe waits to hear Donald Trump's plan for ending the war in Ukraine.
In a phone call that was swiftly criticised by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Scholz urged Putin to pull his forces out of Ukraine and begin talks with Kyiv that would open the way for a "just and lasting peace", the German government said.
