German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has come under fire from the conservative opposition in Germany, which today accused him of contributing to the “propaganda” of Moscow, reported France Press, quoted by BTA.
Vladimir Putin “will take the fact that Scholz called him as a sign of weakness rather than strength”, he told German radio “Deutschlandfunk” Jürgen Hart, spokesman for foreign affairs of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU).
He criticized the chancellor for contributing to the “propaganda success” of the Kremlin for reasons related to Germany's domestic politics.
Yesterday, the chancellor held a one-hour phone conversation with Putin for the first time in nearly two years.
After the collapse of the coalition government last week, Scholz is expected to run for re-election next February. According to the latest polls, his Social Democratic Party (GSDP) will receive only 15% of the vote, far behind the CDU/CSU, which currently has the support of 32% of voters.
Olaf Scholz “wanted above all to make it clear in Germany that he is the one who relies on negotiations, on dialogue,”, Hart said.
During the conversation, the chancellor asked Russia to show “its readiness to start negotiations with Ukraine with a view to a just and lasting peace”, according to a statement from the German government.
According to the German newspaper “Spiegel“ the chancellor wanted to “stand“ Putin before the reality of the war and the critical opinion of Russia that some countries have.
But for Hart, the appeal has not had the desired effect on Putin, who understands only the “signals of strength”, such as the threat to massively increase military aid to Ukraine.
Scholz “did not make any new concrete proposals, nor did he even issue a quasi-ultimatum,”, he added.
This exchange of remarks caused the anger of Kiev as well, which perceived it as an “attempt to appease“ of Moscow. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Scholz had opened “Pandora's box”.
GSDP General Secretary Matthias Mirsch spoke in support of the chancellor's phone call, pointing out that it is important to make diplomatic progress in the Ukrainian conflict.
Germany is Ukraine's second largest arms supplier after the US, but has refrained from sending long-range missiles to avoid further escalation of the conflict.