20,000 people chose to be part of the Kyiv Independent community — thank you.

Skip to content
Edit post

Duda criticizes Scholz's call to Putin, saying 'it's a mistake'

by Kateryna Hodunova November 18, 2024 8:22 PM 2 min read
Polish President Andrzej Duda photographed during a Bloomberg Television interview in New York on Sept. 19, 2023. (Christopher Goodney/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
This audio is created with AI assistance

Polish President Andrzej Duda called German Chancellor Olaf Scholz's phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin "a mistake" in his post on X on Nov. 18.

Scholz spoke with Putin on Nov. 15 for the first time in nearly two years. The German chancellor condemned Russia's war in Ukraine, urged Putin to withdraw his troops, and discussed potential talks with Kyiv.

President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that Scholz's call with Putin opens a "Pandora's box," potentially leading to "other conversations and other calls."

"I doubt that the German Chancellor's conversation with Putin was agreed with the allies," Duda said.

"Russia is brutally attacking Ukraine, and one of the leaders of European countries, a strong economy, is holding talks with the aggressor. I think this is a mistake," Duda added.

At the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Ukraine and Russia held talks in Minsk and Istanbul in March 2022, but the negotiations were eventually abandoned after Ukrainian retook the north of the country and mass war crimes were discovered in the liberated areas.

In remarks during Ukraine's Peace Summit in June this year, Zelensky said the Istanbul talks failed because of the Russian side's "ultimatums."

With Scholz’s government in shambles, conservative rival touts more decisive Ukraine strategy
Editor’s note: The article was updated to reflect Friedrich Merz’s latest comments regarding the debt brake. For the second time in his life, Friedrich Merz is a step away from taking charge of Germany. Losing the fight to control the Christian Democratic Union in 2002 to future Chancellor Angela…

Independent journalism needs a community —
not a paywall.

We’re working hard to show the world the truth of Russia’s brutal war — and we’re keeping it free for everyone, because reliable information should be available to all.

More than 20,000 people chose to stand behind us. We’re deeply grateful and overwhelmed with your support. Thank you for making it possible.

Let´s see how far we can go?

News Feed

8:42 PM

Egyptian POW didn't need money, but went to fight for Russia.

Egyptian-born Russian fighter, callsign "Cobra," signed a contract with the Russian army in 2024, abandoning his young wife, university studies and comfortable lifestyle. Now in Ukrainian prison, he's rethinking his choices. Subscribe to our channel for more independent reporting from Ukraine.
MORE NEWS

Editors' Picks

Enter your email to subscribe
Please, enter correct email address
Subscribe
* indicates required
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required

Subscribe

* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Explaining Ukraine with Kate Tsurkan
* indicates required
Successfuly subscribed
Thank you for signing up for this newsletter. We’ve sent you a confirmation email.