Ukrainian president criticizes Putin-Scholz phone talk as ‘Pandora’s box’

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy criticized a phone call between Russian President Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Friday.

According to state news agency Ukrinform, Zelenskyy said in his video address that he had been informed in advance of the call by Scholz, describing the conversation as "Pandora's box."

"Now there may be other conversations, other calls. Just a lot of words," Zelenskyy said.

The Ukrainian leader alleged that Putin's outreach to world leaders aims to end Russia's isolation.

"This is exactly what Putin has wanted for a long time," he said, adding that it is crucial for him to end Russia's isolation.

"And to engage in negotiations, ordinary negotiations, that will lead to nothing," Zelenskyy said.

"We understand all these challenges now. We know how to act. And we want to warn everyone: there will be no Minsk-3; what we need is real peace," he added.

Putin and Scholz on Friday held a telephone conversation for the first time since December 2022.