Vladimir Putin warns Olaf Scholz that there will be no peace agreement without territorial concessions from kyiv, their first exchange in two years

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Germany of playing into the hands of Vladimir Putin, after Olaf Scholz spoke to the Russian president on Friday, November 15, to discuss the conditions for peace in Ukraine. It was the first meeting in almost two years between the two leaders.

During this call, which lasted an hour, Olaf Scholz asked Russia to show its “willingness to begin negotiations with Ukraine with a view to a just and lasting peace”according to the German government. The chancellor reiterated that Moscow must withdraw its troops from Ukraine and “end the war”.

This exchange provoked the anger of Ukraine, which sees “an attempt at appeasement” towards Moscow at a time when the Ukrainians are losing ground on the front and fear losing the support of the United States, after Donald Trump's victory in the presidential election.

Talk to Vladimir Putin “opens Pandora’s box”castigated 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” on the part of kyiv: the cession of the Ukrainian territories that Moscow annexed in 2022 without fully controlling them. This condition is considered unthinkable by kyiv.

“Conversations with the Russian dictator alone do not bring added value to achieving a just peace”castigated the spokesperson for Ukrainian diplomacy, Heorhii Tykhyi, calling instead for “concrete and strong actions” to force Russia into peace.

A “frank and detailed” call

Olaf Scholz had warned Volodymyr Zelensky of his call to Vladimir Putin. Washington, Paris and London knew the intention of the German Chancellor without the messages having been “coordinated”according to the entourage of French President Emmanuel Macron.

Mr. Scholz will be able to inform in more detail the G20 leaders whom he is due to meet during the summit organized on Monday 18 and Tuesday 19 November in Brazil. A meeting of several heads of European Union diplomacy is also planned for Tuesday in Warsaw to mark the thousand days of the Russian invasion in Ukraine.

In a first comment, Friday November 15, the head of the Polish government, Donald Tusk, welcomed the fact that Olaf Scholz had affirmed that “nothing about Ukraine” would not be done “without Ukraine”.

The German Chancellor also repeated to the Russian leader “determination” of Germany and the European Union to support Ukraine “as long as necessary”.

The last call between the German and Russian leaders dates back to December 2, 2022, some nine 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 large 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”.

Legislative issues in Germany

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 Olaf Scholz has tirelessly refused to provide 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 has also earned him criticism from some of his European allies who criticize him for his lack of determination.

Olaf Scholz recently called for increased efforts to end the conflict diplomatically, in consultation with kyiv and that country's allies. In mid-October, he decided 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”however, he assured.

Military and financial support for kyiv and Germany's defense policy will be one of the subjects of the electoral campaign which should lead the country to early legislative elections on February 23, 2025.