"Putin Calls German Chancellor Scholz After 2 Years"

Russian President Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz spoke on the phone for the first time in two years, foreign media said.

Germany's "Jutdeutsche Zeitung" reported that the two leaders spoke on the phone this afternoon (15th) local time, and details were not disclosed.

The two leaders spoke for an hour, Reuters said, citing German government sources.

Mr. Putin and Mr. Scholz last spoke on Dec. 2, 2022, when Mr. Putin blamed the West for its arms aid to Ukraine and Mr. Scholz blamed each other for the attack on Ukrainian civilian facilities.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on the 11th that there was nothing being done about the two leaders' contact plans at the time, but that Putin was always open to international communication.