German Chancellor Olaf Scholz spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin for the first time in nearly two years this week.
Scholz urged Putin during the Nov. 15 call to open negotiations with Ukraine to end the war there.
“The chancellor urged Russia to show willingness to enter talks with Ukraine with the aim of achieving a just and lasting peace,” a spokesperson for the German government said in a statement.
“He stressed Germany’s unbroken determination to back Ukraine in its defense against Russian aggression for as long as necessary,” the spokesperson added.
The Kremlin said it was “extremely positive” that the call was able to occur and said the conversation came at Berlin’s request.
Putin told Scholz that any ceasefire must take Russian security interests into account and reflect “new territorial realities,” suggesting Moscow remains committed to earlier demands that Ukraine cede substantial amounts of its territory to Russia.
The Kremlin also said that Putin discussed with Scholz the possibility of offering Germany energy deals in the future.
Germany was heavily reliant on Russian gas before the war but direct shipments ceased when pipelines under the Baltic Sea were blown up in 2022.
