For the first time since the end of May, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz held a telephone talk with Russian President Vladimir Putin Sept. 13. While it was not revealed who initiated the call, the discussion occurred only a day after the Russian Ambassador to Germany Sergey Nechayev accused Germany of “crossing the red line” by supplying arms to Ukraine in an interview with Izvestia published Sept. 12.
The German government report on the phone call said that, “given the seriousness of the military situation and the consequences of the war in Ukraine, the Chancellor called on the Russian president to find a diplomatic solution as soon as possible, based on a ceasefire, a full withdrawal of Russian troops and respect for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine.” The statement said that “any further annexation moves by Russia will not go unanswered and will not be recognized under any circumstances.”
While Ukraine is known to be committing atrocities in Donbass and elsewhere, Scholz preferred to demand that Putin treat prisoners of war in accordance with the Geneva Conventions. He also asked Russia to avoid any escalation of violence around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant—which the Ukrainians have been regularly shelling—and urged Putin to implement and abide by the Ukraine grain deal.
