German Chancellor Olaf Scholz attends the Bundestag’s inquiry committee on Afghanistan in Berlin on Thursday, November 14, 2024.

Michael Kappeler/AP/DPA

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Michael Kappeler/AP/DPA

BERLIN — German Chancellor Olaf Scholz spoke Friday with Russian President Vladimir Putin, the Kremlin leader’s first publicly announced conversation with the sitting head of a major Western power in nearly two years. Scholz urged Putin to be open to negotiations with Ukraine, his office said.

The Kremlin leader responded that any peace deal should recognize Russia’s territorial gains and security demands, including Kiev refraining from joining NATO.

Government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit said Scholz urged Putin in the hour-long call to withdraw his troops and end the full-scale invasion that began in February 2022. The conflict will reach its 1,000th day on Tuesday, and Russian opposition leaders in exile, including Alexei Navalny’s widow, Yulia, has organized an anti-war rally for Sunday in Berlin.

“The chancellor called on Russia to be willing to negotiate with Ukraine with the aim of achieving a just and lasting peace and emphasized Germany’s unwavering determination to support Ukraine in its fight against Russian aggression for as long as necessary,” Hebestreit said in a statement.

The new communication between Scholz and Putin – their first since December 2022 – comes at a time of widespread speculation about what the new administration of President-elect Donald Trump will mean for Ukraine. Scholz faces a political crisis at home and has called for a confidence vote next month, with an early election in February.

Washington has been Ukraine’s biggest military backer, but Trump has repeatedly questioned the amount of aid given to Ukraine. While Trump has suggested he could resolve the war quickly, Ukraine has ruled out giving up any territory to Moscow in exchange for peace.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy criticized Scholz’s call to Putin, calling it “a Pandora’s Box” and would only serve to make Russia less isolated.

“Now there can be other talks, other talks. Just a lot of words. And this is exactly what Putin has wanted for a long time,” Zelenskyy said in his evening speech. “It is crucial for him to weaken his isolation… And to engage in negotiations, ordinary negotiations, which lead to nothing.”

Scholz condemned Russian airstrikes on Ukrainian civilian infrastructure and warned that the deployment of North Korean troops to Russia to fight in the war would represent a serious escalation. The US, South Korea and Ukraine say North Korea has sent thousands of troops to Russia to support its war against Ukraine.

The Kremlin said Germany initiated the talks, during which the leaders had a “detailed and frank exchange of views on the situation in Ukraine.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks with the head of the Russian state space agency Roscosmos Yuri Borisov during their meeting at the Novo-Ogaryovo state residence outside Moscow, Russia, Friday, Nov. 15, 2024.

Vyacheslav Prokofyev/AP/Pool Sputnik Kremlin

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Vyacheslav Prokofyev/AP/Pool Sputnik Kremlin

Putin blamed “the current crisis” on what he called NATO’s “long-standing aggressive policy aimed at creating an anti-Russian stronghold on Ukrainian territory while ignoring our country’s security interests and trampling on the rights of Russian-speaking residents,” a readout in the Kremlin. said.

Putin also said Russia remains open to resuming peace talks, pointing to conditions he laid out in June that included Kiev abandoning its bid to join NATO and withdrawing troops from the four Ukrainian regions Moscow illegally annexed by 2022 .

“Possible agreements should take into account the interests of the Russian Federation in the security sphere, take into account new territorial realities and, most importantly, eliminate the root causes of the conflict,” the reading reads.

Putin, who earlier this month said it was up to Western leaders to resume contact with Russia if they wanted, also noted the “unprecedented deterioration” in bilateral relations between Germany and Russia, the Kremlin statement said, noting that the leaders also discussed the situation in the Middle East.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the leaders had a “detailed” and “sincere” exchange of views but added that “there is no talk of convergence of views.”

The two sides agreed to stay in touch after the call.