Secret phone call between German leader and Putin shakes up Ukraine situation
German chancellorʼs unexpected chat with Putin creates waves in international politics. Ukraine leadership shows strong dis-approval while European stance on Russia-Ukraine conflict shows signs of shift
Olaf Scholz made his first contact with Vladimir Putin in almost 2 years creating a stir in global politics; the German chancellorʼs move comes at a time when European views on Russia talks are shifting
The chat happened right after Scholz spoke with Donald Trump on sunday: both discussions focused on finding ways to end the conflict. Putin mentioned that any deal must include Russiaʼs safety needs and new land setup while the German leader pushed for talks with Ukraine (which shows different views on how to move forward)
Talk only give[s] Putin hope of easing his international isolation
The timing seems linked to changing political winds: Trumpʼs likely return to power and his promise to stop the war quick has made Euro leaders re-think their approach. In a related move Sergey Lavrov plans to visit Malta next month — his first EU trip since the wars start
The chat got strong push-back from Volodymyr Zelensky who said it opened a “pandoras box“. Still Scholz keeps pushing his soft-approach policy especially after his traffic-light team split-up last week. His re-election push (with voting set for 02/23/25) focuses on being careful and smart about the conflict
On the ground Russia seems to be moving forward: their troops entered Kupiansk city in east Ukraine. Meanwhile Scholz stays firm on not giving Ukraine long-range Taurus missiles even though Germany remains Kyivʼs second-biggest helper after US. The whole situation got more complex when Gazprom said it would cut gas supply to Austria due to payment issues
