Germany’s Scholz urges Putin to end Ukraine war during first call in 2 years – POLITICO

BERLIN — German Chancellor Olaf Scholz urged Russian President Vladimir Putin in a conversation Friday to “end” his war on Ukraine and to “withdraw troops.”

The conversation, which took place over the phone, lasted for about an hour and constituted the first direct exchange between the two leaders in nearly two years, according to German media reports.

“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, adding that Scholz had spoken to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy beforehand and was planning to do so again after the call.