The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, commenting on the talk between German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Kremlin ruler Vladimir Putin, emphasised that it is not beneficial for peace and just offers the Russian Federation's leader hope of alleviating his country's isolation.

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Gabrielius Landsbergis emphasized the need to revise the approach to assisting Ukraine and called on European partners to take decisive action, the Lithuanian Foreign Ministry says.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday for the first time in nearly two years as the German leader gears up for a snap election and Europe waits to hear Donald Trump’s plan for ending the war in Ukraine.

Olaf Scholz and Vladimir Putin held a rare phone call on Friday in which the German leader urged his Russian counterpart to withdraw troops from Ukraine and negotiate with Kyiv to achieve a just and lasting peace.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed outrage at Friday's rare telephone call between German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying such talks always "lead to nowhere.

A statement from German government spokesperson Steffen Hebestreit said Scholz condemned Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine and called on Putin to end it and withdraw troops. The statement said the chancellor reaffirmed Germany's unwavering determination to support Ukraine in its fight against Russian aggression for as long as necessary.

At 4:33 p.m., the website of the German chancellery confirmed that Scholz condemned Russia’s aggressive war against Ukraine during the call and urged Putin to withdraw Russian troops. Scholz also called on Russia to “be ready for negotiations with Ukraine to achieve a just and lasting peace.