The phone conversation was unpleasant, said Scholz about his call with Putin.

The Chancellor of Germany, Olaf Scholz, commented on a recent phone conversation with the Russian dictator Vladimir Putin. He made this statement during a broadcast on ZDF.

Scholz noted that the conversation was unpleasant, as Putin insisted on achieving his military objectives in Ukraine.

According to the Chancellor, such discussions are important because "they can urge the opponent to withdraw troops from occupied territories".

Scholz also pointed out that supporting Ukraine in its fight against Russian aggression will be one of the key issues in the upcoming Bundestag election campaign.

"There is currently a war in Europe, and this concerns the citizens. In this war, we need to think carefully about how to act wisely. How to proceed with caution.

Germany has become the second largest country in the world in terms of aid to Ukraine, but we have not supplied cruise missiles and have not given permission to strike with our weapons on Russian territory.

I believe this is the course that most citizens support," he said.

It was previously reported that Scholz, in a phone call with Putin, urged him to withdraw troops from Ukraine and come to the negotiating table.