According to Melnik, Scholz made this call when he was in a "weak position."
"Making the call might have been necessary, but not in a situation where you're calling Putin from a position of weakness! He knows very well – better than anyone – that Germany is currently at a crossroads, that the government has lost its majority, and to be, as they say, a 'lame duck' and call Putin – well, that's precisely the case where everything was done the opposite way. Although previously, I think there would have been opportunities. And it would have been possible to seek some approaches," Melnik said.