During his visit to Cottbus, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said that he had very often called Russian President Vladimir Putin throughout the year. He also said that these conversations were very long.
"I had a lot of phone conversations with Putin that lasted a very long time. And I will continue to do so even though we have different views," Scholz assured.
Moreover, the Chancellor responded to Bundestag member Sarah Wagenknecht's calls for a cessation of hostilities, a peaceful negotiation process, and a refusal to hand over weapons to the Ukrainian military.
Scholz stressed that peace should not be imposed. At the same time, he promised that he would continue to engage in dialogue with the Russian head of state and look for ways to resolve the conflict, even if the conditions for the negotiation process do not yet exist.