Scholz revealed to Macron what he talked about with Putin after the invasion. What did he hear?
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, in a conversation with French President Emmanuel Macron, revealed the course of his dialogue with Vladimir Putin from the first days of the Russian-Ukrainian war. We got to know fragments of the discussion thanks to the “Bild” daily.
Scholz revealed what he talked about on the phone with the president of the Russian Federation just after that country’s invasion of Ukraine. Putin was to present his view on the entire situation and propose “compromise solutions”, emphasizing the need to demilitarize and “denazify” Ukraine. – He asked me to recognize Crimea as part of Russia. And for the independence of these republics, added the German Chancellor, referring to the Donetsk and Luhansk Republics.
What did Scholz talk to Putin about at the beginning of the war?
For his part, the German politician proposed peace negotiations in a four-party format to Putin. However, the President of Russia did not agree to the participation of President Volodymyr Zelensky. He only accepted the presence of Emmanuel Macron. Putin also allegedly criticized the trip to Poland of the Ukrainian delegation, which, in his opinion, was supposed to receive instructions from the US. Scholz noted that Putin did not raise the topic of Western sanctions at all.
Macron, quoted by Bild, allegedly replied to Scholz that his conversation with Putin was “very similar.” In the early months of the war, the French president was often criticized for maintaining dialogue with Putin despite numerous Russian crimes committed in Ukraine. In turn, on February 28 this year, the Russian side complained to Macron and Scholz that they were no longer in contact with Vladimir Putin, despite previous declarations on this topic.
Russian statement regarding the conversation between Scholz and Putin
On March 4, 2022, the Kremlin press service revealed what Vladimir Putin and Olaf Scholz talked about. It was emphasized that at the initiative of the German side, a telephone conversation between the leaders took place. Putin was to emphasize his position regarding the “special military operation”, as Russian propaganda called the war. Scholz reportedly expressed concern about the hostilities and civilian casualties.
