Germany's Scholz speaks with Putin for first time in nearly 2 years

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin for an hour by phone on Friday, the first conversation between the two leaders in nearly two years, dpa has learned.

Scholz had said last weekend that he wanted to resume a dialogue with Putin "soon" to discuss the conflict in Ukraine.

"We have to see if there are ways to find out whether this war will go on forever or if we can find ways to end it," he told a public broadcaster on Sunday.

Scholz last spoke to Putin on the phone in December 2022, when he called for a diplomatic solution to the conflict and the withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine. Russia launched its all-out attack on Ukraine in February 2022.