Scholz call with Putin opens a ‘Pandora’s box,’ Ukraine’s Zelenskyy complains

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s phone call with Russian leader Vladimir Putin has opened a “Pandora’s box,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, complaining that the conversation undermines efforts to isolate the Russian leader.

“Now there may be other conversations, other calls. Just a lot of words,” Zelenskyy said in his evening address Friday night.

“And this is exactly what Putin has long wanted: It is crucial for him to weaken his isolation, Russia’s isolation,” Zelenskyy said.

In the telephone call on Friday, Scholz exhorted Putin to “end” his war on Ukraine and to “withdraw troops.” The conversation lasted for about an hour and was the first direct exchange between the two leaders in nearly two years, German media reported.

“The Federal Chancellor urged Russia to be prepared to negotiate with Ukraine with the aim of achieving a just and lasting peace,” a German government spokesperson said in a statement. Scholz informed Zelenskyy of the call beforehand, the spokesperson said.

Scholz has over recent months been pushing for a second conference on peace in Ukraine that would include Russia. An initial peace summit, without participation from the Kremlin, was organized in Switzerland in June.

Scholz and Putin agreed to stay in touch, according to a German government official. The chancellor “emphasized that the deployment of North Korean soldiers to Russia for combat missions against Ukraine is associated with a serious escalation and expansion of the conflict,” the official added.

Scholz has long sought to strike an awkward balance on Ukraine, touting the fact that Germany has provided more military aid to Kyiv than any other European country, while also depicting himself as a leader who can prevent the war from spiraling out of control.

Scholz and Putin last spoke in December 2022, 10 months after the Russian leader launched his full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Zelenskyy separately said that Kyiv would like to end the war with Russia next year through “diplomatic means.” 

In a radio interview aired on Saturday, the Ukrainian president said: “From our side, we must do everything so that this war ends next year, ends through diplomatic means.” But he said Putin was not interested in agreeing on a peace deal.

Asked about his conditions for negotiations, Zelenskyy said Ukraine must remain “strong” and “not alone with Russia.”