President Volodymyr Zelensky said that German Chancellor Olaf Scholzʼs call to Putin is a "Pandoraʼs Box."
He said this in his evening video address.
According to him, this is exactly what Putin wanted — to ease his isolation, Russiaʼs isolation and conduct negotiations that "will not end in anything."
"Just like heʼs been doing for decades. This made it possible for Russia not to change anything in its policy, not to do anything in fact, and this is exactly what led to this war. We understand all these challenges now. We know how to act. And we want to warn you that ʼMinsk-3ʼ will not happen — we need real peace," said the Ukrainian president.
The reaction of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that the German side reported plans to talk with Putin. However, there they believe that such a conversation "does not bring any added value to the achievement of a just peace."
"Long talks are a resource that Putin has used for more than 20 years to achieve his interests. Now the talks only give Putin hope for weakening international isolation," the agency emphasized.
- German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called Putin in the evening of November 15. He called on the Russian leader to stop the war and start negotiations with Ukraine. It was their first conversation since December 2022. Then he also insisted that Russia withdraw its troops from Ukraine.
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