Germany's Scholz reaffirms Ukraine backing, defends Putin call

BERLIN, Nov 17, 2024 (AFP) -German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Sunday reaffirmed his country's support for Ukraine after taking flak for speaking to Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying that no decision on ending the war with Russia would be taken without Kyiv.     

"Ukraine can count on us" and "no decision will be taken behind Ukraine's back", the chancellor said at Berlin airport before flying off to a G20 meeting in Rio de Janeiro.     

After facing criticism from Kyiv for reaching out to Putin, the German leader defended the call, the first the Russian president has held with a major Western leader in nearly two years.     

"It was important to tell him that he must not expect that the support of Germany, Europe and many others in the world for Ukraine will weaken," the German leader added.     

Scholz said that US president-elect Donald Trump's undetailed promises to end the war in Ukraine also justified his decision to phone the Russian leader.     

"It would not be a good idea if, in the near future, there were talks between the American president and the Russian president without the head of an important European country," Germany in this case, "also holding talks themselves," the chancellor said.     

Scholz said his conversation with Putin allowed him "to note that the Russian president has not changed his mind much about this war, which is not good news".     

The German chancellor has lost his majority in parliament following the collapse of his governing coalition.     

But Scholz restated his intention Sunday to run for a second term in elections scheduled for February, despite calls from within his own camp for him to make way for popular Defence Minister Boris Pistorius.