German opposition accuses Scholz of fuelling Russian propaganda

(Patria) - German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has come under fire from the conservative opposition over his telephone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin, which yesterday accused him of contributing to Moscow's "propaganda".

- Putin will understand that Scholz called him more as a sign of weakness than strength - said CDU conservative party spokesman Jurgen Hardt, who criticised the chancellor for contributing to the Kremlin's "propaganda success".

Scholz spoke by phone with Putin for an hour on Friday, their first conversation in nearly two years.

Following the collapse of the German coalition last week, early parliamentary elections have been called for February. According to the latest polls, Scholz's Social Democratic Party would win 15 percent of the vote, far behind the conservative CDU/CSU which would get 32 percent.

- Scholz primarily wanted it to be understood in Germany that he is the one relying on negotiations and dialogue - said the CDU spokesman.

"The German Chancellor asked Putin to show Russia's readiness to start negotiations with Ukraine with the aim of a just and lasting peace," the German government said in a statement.

According to German media reports, citing sources close to the government, the chancellor wanted to confront Putin with the reality of the war and the critical stance that some countries have towards Russia.

The CDU spokesman assessed that the phone call did not have the desired effect on Putin, who only understands "messages of force", such as the threat of a massive increase in military aid to Ukraine.

- Scholz did not make any new concrete proposals - he added.

The Scholz-Putin telephone conversation caused dissatisfaction in Ukraine, whose authorities interpreted it as an "attempt at a conciliatory stance" towards Russia.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Scholz had "opened Pandora's box".

Germany is the second largest supplier of weapons to Ukraine after the USA, but has refrained from sending long-range weapons to Ukraine to avoid escalating the conflict.