[Asia Economy Reporter Yujin Cho] The Kremlin has stated that Russian President Vladimir Putin is open to contact with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who has decided to support Ukraine with main battle tanks, but no agreed schedule such as a phone call has been set yet.
According to major foreign media on the 29th (local time), Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin spokesman, said, "President Putin can talk with Chancellor Scholz, but currently there is no agreed meeting on the schedule."
On the same day, Chancellor Scholz indicated his willingness to engage in dialogue with Russia regarding the war in Ukraine, saying in an interview with the German newspaper Tagesspiegel, "There is a need for dialogue, so I will talk with President Putin again."
He also stated that he will continue efforts to end the war through direct communication with President Putin. He emphasized, "The responsibility to withdraw troops from Ukraine and end this terrible and meaningless war, which has already claimed hundreds of thousands of lives, lies with President Putin."
Chancellor Scholz last spoke with President Putin by phone in early December last year. At that time, President Putin urged Germany to reconsider its approach to the situation in Ukraine, calling the policies of Germany and the West destructive.
Chancellor Scholz said that in his conversations with President Putin so far, they have discussed specific issues such as prisoner exchanges, grain exports from Ukraine, and the safety of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. He stressed that it is important for the dialogue to return to the essential topic of how the world can escape this terrible situation. The premise, according to Scholz, is the withdrawal of Russian troops.
According to the Kiel Institute for the World Economy, a German non-profit think tank, Germany provides the second-largest military aid to Ukraine after the United States, far ahead of other European countries such as the United Kingdom and France.
On the 25th, the German government decided to support Ukraine with domestically produced Leopard 2 tanks. The German government announced that it will provide 14 Leopard 2 tanks, equivalent to one company.
Ukraine has requested support for long-range missiles and fighter jets such as F-16s immediately after the United States and Germany decided to provide M1 Abrams and Leopard 2 tanks respectively, but Chancellor Scholz drew a line on fighter jet support.
At the announcement of the support of 14 Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine, Chancellor Scholz said, "I had previously made it clear that we are not discussing fighter jets, and I want to reaffirm that now."
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