Olaf Scholz had a telephone conversation with President Putin.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called the Russian dictator for the first time in almost two years. The German government noted that the chancellor called on Putin to negotiate an end to the war.

President Zelenskyy immediately commented that the German government’s leader had opened a “Pandora’s box” with his actions. He added that Putin seeks to ease international isolation and conduct “normal negotiations that will not end in anything.” The Ukrainian president added, “Minsk-3 will not take place – we need real peace.”

Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs noted that concrete, decisive actions are needed to force Putin toward peace, not persuasion, which he uses to his advantage.

British ex-prime minister Boris Johnson said that such calls threaten a return to the Normandy format, which does not correspond to modern realities because the format interprets the Russian Federation and Ukraine as equal participants, which ignores Russia’s aggression.

The Prime Minister of Poland said that Russia’s latest attack against Ukraine proves the ineffectiveness of telephone diplomacy, and that the following weeks will be decisive.