Ukraine-Russia war latest: Zelensky accuses Scholz of opening ‘Pandora’s box’ after call with Putin
Zelensky said the call between Scholz and Putin is part of the latter’s strategy to avoid changing policy
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Your support makes all the difference.Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has criticised German chancellor Olaf Scholz for speaking with Russian president Vladimir Putin over the phone for the first time in two years.
Mr Scholz urged Putin to pull his forces out of Ukraine and open talks with Kyiv in order to set the region on course for a “just and lasting peace”.
The Kremlin said that Berlin had requested the conversation, and Putin told Mr Scholz that any agreement to end the war in Ukraine must take into account “new territorial realities”.
Mr Zelensky said the call “opens Pandora’s Box”, claiming it is “critical for [Putin] to weaken his isolation, as well as Russia’s isolation, and to hold mere talks that will lead nowhere”.
This is a decades-old strategy which has “allowed Russia to avoid making any changes to its policies, effectively doing nothing, which has ultimately led to this war,” Mr Zelensky added.
“We understand all the current challenges and we know what to do. And we want to make it clear: there will be no ‘Minsk-3’; we need real peace,” he said, referring to the peace agreement signed in 2015 which granted self-governance to certain areas of Donbas.
Scholz urges Putin to seek ‘just and lasting peace’ in Ukraine
More details are emerging from Berlin’s readout of German chancellor Olaf Scholz’s hour-long phone call with Vladimir Putin – their first direct conversation since December 2022.
Mr Scholz is claimed to have urged Mr Putin to begin talks with Ukraine that would open the way for a “just and lasting peace” and demanded the withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine.
“The Chancellor urged Russia to show willingness to enter talks with Ukraine with the aim of achieving a just and lasting peace,” a spokesperson said, adding: “He stressed Germany’s unbroken determination to back Ukraine in its defence against Russian aggression for as long as necessary.”
Mr Scholz, the most unpopular German chancellor on record, is preparing for a national election on 23 February in which his Social Democrats face stiff competition from left-wing and far-right parties that are critical of Germany’s backing for Ukraine.
Ukraine's Zelenskiy warned Scholz against Putin call, Kyiv source says
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky warned German Chancellor Olaf Scholz against speaking to Vladimir Putin by phone on Friday, saying it would reduce the Russian leader’s isolation and keep the war going, a source in Ukraine's presidential office has said.
“The President said this would only help Putin by reducing his isolation. Putin doesn’t want real peace, he wants a break,” the source told Reuters.
Mr Scholz’s office said that the German chancellor was speaking to Mr Zelensky both prior to and following his call with Mr Putin.
North Korea tests exploding drones as Kim calls for mass production
North Korea tested exploding drones designed to crash into targets and leader Kim Jong Un called for accelerating mass production of the weapons, state media has said – as Pyongyang steps up its support for Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Kim Tong-Hyung reports:
North Korea tests exploding drones as Kim calls for mass production
North Korea says it has tested exploding drones designed to hit targets and leader Kim Jong Un called for accelerating their mass production
Scholz urges Russia’s Putin to end Ukraine war in call, says Berlin
German chancellor Olaf Scholz has urged Vladimir Putin to end the war in Ukraine and withdraw troops in a phone call, stressing that Germany would support Ukraine for as long as necessary, Berlin has said.
In their first direct conversation since December 2022, Mr Scholz also told Mr Putin that Russia should prepare for negotiations with Ukraine with the aim of achieving a just and lasting peace, his spokesperson said.
Mr Scholz had spoken to Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy prior to the call and was due to do so again after, according to the spokesperson.
Poland moves to reopen embassy in North Korea
Poland is reactivating its embassy in the capital of North Korea – becoming the second Western nation to resume operations suspended due to the pandemic, with Sweden having done so in September.
The move opens a channel of communication between Poland and Pyongyang – an increasingly close ally of Russia, as it provides Moscow with troops to fight in Ukraine. Polish diplomats were in the North Korean capital this week as Poland seeks to restore its diplomatic presence.
“The visit is of a technical and political nature and one of its main goals is to restore the permanent diplomatic presence,” Poland’s foreign ministry said.
The Polish embassy was closed in December 2020 after the North Korean authorities announced a complete closure of the state border due to Covid, which the ministry said made the normal work of the diplomatic mission “impossible”.
Poland boosts drone purchases, to start unmanned aircraft inspectorate in January
Poland has ordered 52 FlyEye surveillance drones in a contract worth 100 million zlotys (£19.3m), its defence minister has said.
“We will develop drone forces ... in all domains in which drones can operate,” the minister, Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz said, while signing the drone purchase deal.
A new drone military inspectorate due to start work in January will coordinate strategy for the use of unmanned aerial vehicles, as well as unify the training of their operators he said.
FlyEye drones, produced by Polish company WB Electronics, are designed to conduct image reconnaissance from the air both in daylight and using thermal imaging at night. Already in use by the Polish armed forces, FlyEye drones are also used by Ukraine in its war against Russia.
Mr Kosiniak-Kamysz told a press conference that, when his country’s EU presidency starts in January, Poland will push for the bloc to devote more funds to defence, possibly by using unspent funds from national recovery plans.
“It is good that the EU sees the need to support the arms industry and the operational capabilities of the national armies of EU countries, but much more money is needed,” he said.
Putin will look into YouTube disruptions, Kremlin says
Vladimir Putin is looking into slow speeds and mass outages on YouTube in Russia after the country’s top cinema official raised the matter with him, the Kremlin has claimed.
Critics have accused Russian authorities of deliberately disrupting YouTube to prevent Russians from viewing content which is critical of Mr Putin and his government. Moscow insists the issues are caused by Google’s failure to upgrade equipment – a charge disputed by the company and technology experts.
Karen Shakhnazarov, who has headed the state-owned giant of Soviet and Russian cinema, Mosfilm, for more than 25 years, said on Thursday he had met with Mr Putin and discussed the issue.
“Slowing down YouTube, in my view, is not very advisable today,” Mr Shakhnazarov said on state television. “To which the president said there are all sorts of nastiness on there.”
Mr Shakhnazarov said he agreed that there were some bad things on YouTube, but that those who wanted to access them were able to get around restrictions and many others simply use the platform to watch films and other content. “[Putin] listened and said ‘I’ll look into it’,” Mr Shakhnazarov said
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