Scholz's associate advocates continuing phone calls with Putin

Saskia Esken, leader of the Social Democratic Party of Germany, has supported the continuation of telephone talks between Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin.

As reported by n-tv, Esken said that the talks between Scholz and Putin "must be held again and again to find out what can be done to finally put an end to the killings and deaths".

However, for the time being, Esken does not believe that a face-to-face meeting between Putin and Scholz is appropriate.

"As long as the relations remain as it is, it is enough to talk on the phone," Esken said.

On 15 November, it was revealed that Olaf Scholz had spoken with the Kremlin leader for the first time in two years. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described Scholz’s call with Putin as a "Pandora’s box".

Jürgen Hardt, a member of the Christian Democratic Union/Christian Social Union (CDU/CSU) opposition bloc in Germany, believes that Putin will see Scholz's move as "a sign of weakness, not strength".

However, Matthias Miersch, Secretary General of the Social Democratic Party (SPD), defended the chancellor's decision.