According to him, Scholz warned Zelensky that he plans to talk to Putin.
In response, the president stated that this would "only benefit Putin by reducing his isolation," noted the agency's source. Zelensky believes that Putin "does not want genuine peace; he wants a break" in the war.
A source from Reuters in the Presidential Office indicated that the conversation "will allow Putin to change the environment and continue the war," while at the same time, it "will not bring peace because Putin will simply repeat the lies he has been saying for years, creating the illusion that he is no longer isolated."
During a one-hour conversation on November 15, Scholz condemned the Russian aggression against Ukraine and urged Putin to stop it and withdraw occupying troops from Ukrainian territory, as reported on the German government's website. The chancellor also called on Putin to engage in negotiations with Ukraine "with the aim of achieving a fair and lasting peace" and emphasized that Germany will support Ukraine in its defense against Russian aggression "for as long as necessary."
In the Kremlin, they stated on Telegram that Putin and Scholz "exchanged views on the situation in Ukraine in detail and openly." They reiterated Russian narratives that the full-scale Russian aggression allegedly "was a direct result of years of NATO's aggressive policy aimed at creating an anti-Russian foothold on Ukrainian territory," while "ignoring the interests" of Russia in the security sphere and "violating the rights of Russian-speaking residents."
At the same time, Putin noted that the aggressor country allegedly "has never refused and is still open" to resuming negotiations, and its proposals are "well known": they "must take into account Russia's security interests," be based on "new territorial realities," and most importantly – "eliminate the root causes of the conflict."