German chancellor Scholz says completely stopping talks with Putin 'would be a grave mistake'

German chancellor Olaf Scholz on Sunday said that it would be a grave mistake to completely stop talking to Russia and its President Vladimir Putin.

Scholz's remarks come just two days after he held a telephone conversation with Putin. During their conversation on Friday (December 2), the chancellor reportedly pressed the Russian leader to seek a diplomatic end to the war in Ukraine.

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Referring to the call, Scholz as per Reuters said "I have spoken to him (Putin) repeatedly since then because I am firmly convinced that it is a grave mistake if, despite all the differences, and this is, after all, a small word for huge differences, we no longer talk to each other at all."

He added that "it is also important that the French president and I, as representatives of the G7 countries, as two NATO countries, keep seeking dialogue again. However, we do so without any illusions because they are always long conversations and because all the public statements we hear to justify this war are repeated there."

In a statement released after the one-hour call, Scholz's spokesperson Steffen Hebestreit said that the chancellor condemned Russian airstrikes on civilian infrastructure "and stressed Germany's determination to support Ukraine in ensuring the defence capability against Russian aggression".

However, as per AFP Putin accused the West of pursuing "destructive policies" and also warned that the attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure are "inevitable", adding that thanks to the "political and financial support" from its western allies, " Kyiv completely rejects the idea of any negotiations".

Hebestreit also said that the two leaders have agreed to "remain in contact".

During an award ceremony for the Marion Doenhoff Prize, he expressed hope that theRussian war of aggression against Ukraine will be over soon. "We don't know when it will end, but it will end. And one thing is already absolutely clear: this war will not end with a victory for the great Russian expansionism. Putin's great Russian mission will fail. It has already failed dramatically."

This Marion Doenhoff Prize has been awarded to Irina Scherbakowa, a founding member of the Russian human rights organisation Memorial.

(With inputs from agencies)

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