German Chancellor Scholz plans to talk to Putin again "in due course"

Spiegel reported the information.

The chancellor noted that "some time has passed" since his last phone conversation with Putin.

"But I plan to talk to Putin again in due course," Scholz said. 

He also emphasized that a precondition for a just peace must be the withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine. 

Scholz also added that Russia must understand that a "cold peace" is unacceptable, in particular, a scenario where the current front line becomes a new "border" between Russia and Ukraine, as this would only legitimize Putin's previous actions. 

When asked separately whether this also applies to Crimea, the Chancellor repeated his previous answer.

"Russia must withdraw its troops. It is not up to us to determine what kind of agreement Ukraine wants to reach," he emphasized.

Spiegel notes that in the original language, the chancellor used the more general phrase "Rückzug von Truppen" to refer to the withdrawal of troops, rather than "Rückzug der Truppen," which could mean "all troops." 

Scholz added that the war should end with an agreement between Russia and Ukraine.

• On May 23, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said he believed that Russia would not win the war against Ukraine, and Kyiv would become a EU member after the victory.