German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has expressed his readiness to engage in further dialogue with Russian President Vladimir Putin, despite finding previous talks “frustrating.” Scholz, who had a phone conversation with Putin for the first time in nearly a year,

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said he is willing to speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin again despite “frustrating” talks with him last month, according to German broadcaster RTL. Scholz spoke with Putin for the first time in almost two years on Nov.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said he's willing to speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin again even though his recent phone call yielded no results. "It was frustrating," Scholz told a television station's end-of-year review programme on Wednesday,

"I will do it again. But we must not have any illusions about it," German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said, according to Zeit.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, seen as one of the most Kremlin-friendly European leaders, also spoke with Putin on December 11, drawing similar criticism from Kyiv. Scholz

The previous phone call with Putin was "necessary" to convey that Germany's support for Ukraine will not weaken and to urge Putin to withdraw troops to create a basis for a peaceful process, according to Scholz.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz remains open to further talks with Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin, despite describing their phone converaation in November as a "disappointment". Source: Zeit, citing Scholz,