The conversation between German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Russian President Vladimir Putin " "opened Pandora's box" by undermining efforts to isolate the Russian leader, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said, quoted by Reuters, BTA writes.
"Now there can be other conversations, other calls. Just a lot of words. And this is exactly what Putin wanted for a long time: it is extremely important for him to weaken his isolation," Zelensky said in his evening address.
The Ukrainian president confirmed that he was notified in advance of the upcoming conversation, notes France Presse.
"We must warn you: there will be no Minsk-3. We need real peace," added Zelensky, referring to a possible agreement to freeze the conflict.
The two accords, reached in Minsk in 2014 and 2015, were signed by Kiev and Moscow-backed separatists who controlled large swaths of eastern Ukraine. They led to numerous cease-fires, more or less respected on the front, but not to a solution to the conflict. Russia began its invasion of Ukraine in 2022, AFP recalls.
Ukraine's Ministry of Foreign Affairs stressed that the phone calls with Putin do not contribute to progress towards a "just peace,", Reuters notes.
"For more than two decades, Putin has used extended talks as a resource to advance his interests. At the moment, the talks only give Putin hope for a weakening of the international isolation", said the spokesman of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry Giorgi Tihi.
He called for "concrete and strong actions to force (Russia) to make peace, not persuasion and attempts at appeasement.