War in Ukraine
Scholz talks to Trump about the path to peace in Ukraine
Updated 12/19/2024 – 8:26 p.mReading time: 1 min.
Trump is far from being US President and yet Chancellor Scholz is speaking to him on the phone for the second time since his election victory. That’s not necessarily common.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) spoke on the phone with the future US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the EU summit and spoke to him primarily about the war in Ukraine. The two agreed “that the Russian war against Ukraine has been going on for far too long and it is important to get on the path to a fair, just and sustainable peace as soon as possible,” government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit said afterwards . The Chancellor confirmed that he wanted to continue supporting Ukraine in its defense against Russia for as long as necessary.
It was the Chancellor’s second conversation with Trump since his election victory on November 5th. Trump is scheduled to be sworn in in Washington on January 20th. It is not necessarily usual for Scholz to speak on the phone with the future president for the second time before taking office.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj also took part in the EU summit on Thursday. On Wednesday evening, Scholz and heads of state and government and foreign ministers from six other NATO states met with Zelensky and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte for a confidential discussion.
Scholz then again called on the allies to continue their aid to Ukraine unabated. “We have to secure long-term support for Ukraine.” Scholz wants to visit Trump in Washington as soon as possible after his swearing in. He has repeatedly expressed his confidence that the USA and Europe will find a common line on Ukraine policy.
