Summary
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke by phone for the first time since December 2022, with Scholz condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and its use of North Korean troops as a “grave escalation.”
Scholz urged Putin to withdraw troops and negotiate a “fair and lasting peace,” emphasizing Germany’s continued support for Ukraine.
Putin blamed NATO’s “aggressive policy” and insisted peace must reflect “new territorial realities” of occupied Ukrainian land.
Amid growing political and economic pressures, Scholz faces criticism over his handling of the war and upcoming elections.
If we’re trying to avoid WWIII, yes. It sucks and is unfair, but the responsible choice isn’t always the fair choice.
*Jeez y’all, I’m not saying to just roll over and die here. There are other ways to respond that aren’t “send an international force of soldiers into war, all but guaranteeing worldwide war between nuclear powers”. There’s a necessary calculus here that’s just a few steps above grade school level retribution.
I’d invite you to finish your thought. Because the logical conclusion of that is giving them everything. That’s the only way to “avoid” WW3 according to that logic. This also happens to be exactly how WW2 started, food for thought.
I’d also like to draw your attention to the fact that Putin barely reacts to Ukraine gaining ground. Sinking of the Moskva, invading their territory, saying they’ll get nukes one way or another. He’s a coward that only advances when he thinks he can get away with it. It’s why this war even started. He seriously thought it would be a 3 day operation and that everyone would quickly forget about it.
The responsible choice is to not appease. Putin can decide if he wants to escalate against Germany and NATO.